The Board of Partners of E. Merck KG appointed Stefan Oschmann as new Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO of Merck KGaA. He will succeed Karl-Ludwig Kley who will retire after eight years as head of Merck. The appointment will take effect on April 29, 2016.
Stefan Oschman, born on July 25, 1957 in Würzburg, Germany, studied veterinary medicine at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich, Germany, from 1977–1982 and gained a doctorate there in 1985. He worked for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from 1985–1987 and for the German Animal Health Federation (BfT) from 1987–1989, a member association of the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI). Oschmann worked for more than 20 years for the U.S. pharma company MSD Merck Sharp & Dohme. Since 2011, he has been a member of the Executive Board of Merck. He was initially in charge of the pharma business before being appointed as Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board and Deputy CEO at the beginning of 2015, responsible for strategy and innovation.
Oschman is president of the IFPMA (International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations) and Vice President of EFPIA (European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations).
Karl-Ludwig Kley (64) was Chief Financial Officer at Deutsche Lufthansa, Frankfurt, for eight years. Since 2004, Kley is a member of the Supervisory Board of Merck KGaA and the Board of Partners of E. Merck KG. In 2006 he became Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board of Merck before taking over as Chairman in 2007.
Kley joined Lufthansa’s supervisory board in 2013, is Deputy Chairman of the supervisory board of BMW, Stuttgart, Germany, and member of the supervisory board of Bertelsmann, Gutersloh, Germany. In addition, he is vice president of the German Chemicals Association (VCI), Frankfurt, and member of the steering committee of the Federation of German Industries (BDI).
Since 2006, Merck since 2006 has evolved from a company with a diverse portfolio in pharma and chemicals into a specialized high-tech company in the areas of healthcare, life science and performance materials. Today the company holds leading positions in fertility treatments, process solutions for the biotech industry or liquid crystal displays.
- Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany
