WACKER BIOSOLUTIONS Under New Leadership

Munich, Mar 30, 2020

Dr. Susanne Leonhartsberger (48) takes over as president of WACKER BIOSOLUTIONS on April 1, 2020. She succeeds Dr. Gerhard Schmid (65), who retires on March 31, 2020. Dr. Leonhartsberger’s last position was managing director of Wacker Biotech GmbH and, as head of WACKER’s biopharma business line, she was responsible for biologics business.

Dr. Susanne Leonhartsberger studied biology at Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich, where she wrote her doctorate on the gene regulation activities and biochemistry of bacteria. She first joined Roche Diagnostics, where she worked in protein production. In 2001, she moved to WACKER’s Corporate R&D department. After various positions at Wacker Biotech’s site in Jena and at the Corporate Development department in Munich, she moved to Adrian (USA) in 2014. There, she headed WACKER BIOSOLUTIONS’ North and Central America business until 2017. On her return to Germany, she became managing director of Wacker Biotech GmbH and, as head of the biopharma business line, was responsible for biologics contract-manufacturing at WACKER.

As of April 1, Dr. Guido Seidel, currently second managing director of Wacker Biotech GmbH, will succeed Dr. Leonhartsberger as head of the biopharma line and first managing director of Wacker Biotech GmbH. Effective the same date, Melanie Käsmarker becomes second managing director of Wacker Biotech GmbH. Currently, Melanie Käsmarker heads the Global Finance & Administration unit for the biopharma business line and, at the same time, is site manager at Wacker Biotech’s site in Halle. Wacker Biotech is a wholly-owned WACKER subsidiary.

About WACKER BIOSOLUTIONS

Using advanced biotech processes, WACKER BIOSOLUTIONS provides tailored, innovative solutions and products to the life-science sector – including pharmaceutical proteins, cyclodextrins and fermentation-generated cysteine. Its portfolio is complemented by catalog chemicals, such as acetylacetone and high-quality polyvinyl acetate solid resins. The division focuses on producing customized solutions for growth areas, such as food ingredients, pharmaceutical actives and agrochemicals.