At Lonza, the boss – now the President must answer

no, the retirement of the chief Executive officer of Lonza, had nothing to do with its Chairman Albert Baehny, is insured in the context of the Basel head office. That Marc radio rooms after less than nine months in office, the Executive chair, have actually "private reasons". That may be true upon superficial examination, even. It is striking, however, how quickly influential players from Lonza, consistently emphasize what a good thing it was that Baehny, besides the Bureau of the Board of Directors on an interim basis in addition to operationally the helm at Lonza.

Baehny now, what should he do probably would have already at the beginning of the year: a lot of time for the search of a new head of Lonza and in this Phase, the Basel pharmaceutical and chemical group, the realignment forward. Instead, Baehny had moved in January, the long-time chief Richard Ridinger to retreat and Marc Funk, head of the pharmaceuticals Division, by 1. March promoted to group head.

tag, despite the success of

Whether radio is the best choice, there were in the case of large shareholders, in isolated cases, doubt. Radio was for 15 years, corporate lawyer, first in a Start-up, then at the Geneva Pharma company Merck Serono and most recently at Lonza, before Ridinger gave him in 2014, the operational management of the largest Division with operations in the fields of Pharma, Biotech and nutrition.

The threads have been celebrating in the Hand. So also in the acquisition of the US group, Capsugel, which produces capsules and other products used to administer medicines, for 5.5 billion dollars. Capsugel is complementary to the own production of active ingredients for pharmaceutical companies, founded Lonza at the time, the largest Acquisition in the company's history.

That Lonza, despite years of Success, continues to be a need for action, was Baehny already no longer clear. He was in 2017, the Board of Directors of Lonza, a year later, he took over the Bureau. The sale of low-margin and cyclical business of water treatment, continued to drive under his leadership, the Board of Directors, not Ridinger as a Chef. And hardly Ridinger, was discontinued at the end of January as head of Lonza, prescribed Baehny to the group a Review of the strategy.

investors expect Large

The stock market reacted mercilessly to the fact that, according to Ridinger, now with its successor radio in the same year, for the second Time, the boss of the shares of Lonza lost at times, up to 7 percent of its value and closed the evening with a Minus of 4.5 percent in 329,3 francs. Now Baehny is required, as President, and interim chief of Lonza to meet the great expectations in advance of the big shareholders. The shareholders of financial investors such as the world's largest asset Manager Blackrock, which holds 9.7 per cent of Lonza, the sound but also the activist investment funds, Artisan Partners, with 3 percent share of Lonza, who plays also in the case of FIG.

Lonza, a global company with 5.5 billion Swiss francs in sales in 2018, and 15'500 employees, has in the stock market this year, a third of the course. Baehny not, delivers all of that could change quickly. His chances, however, are intact. Baehny is little known, but one of the most successful Swiss Manager, and he has Geberit the sanitary group since 2005 as chief of sustainable yield of pearl upgraded.

Expensive Upgrade

The Lonza's pharmaceutical Division runs smoothly. Less well the special ingredients that contributes about a quarter of sales going on: The sales decline, the business is to be outsourced. Manage Baehny, the problem child back on its feet and to bring to the stock market, or at least to dispose of, he wins free-space, the lucrative pharmaceutical business by means of acquisitions, to expand. This is time-consuming and can take years.

Some of the shareholder, in the hopes that Baehny helps to Geberit, Lonza's to even more success, it would be right, if this drives some time in the Doppelamt the tag forward. That power suit, showed Baehny at Geberit, Where he took over in 2011 released by the Bureau, but remained still, until 2014, head of the plumbing group.

Created: 12.11.2019, 07:33 PM