Werner Baumann
Werner Baumann served as Chairman of the Board of Management of Bayer AG from 2016 to 2023. In January 2020, he also took on the role of Chief Sustainability Officer. During his tenure, Bayer became a leading agricultural company through the acquisition and successful integration of Monsanto. At the same time, Bayer sharpened its focus on its core businesses, for example by selling its Animal Health business. It strengthened its Pharmaceuticals business by making acquisitions totaling several billion euros, which paved the way for the creation of a cell and gene therapy platform, for instance. Sustainability became a key pillar of Bayer’s corporate strategy.
Werner Baumann was born in Krefeld, Germany, on October 6, 1962. After studying economics at RWTH Aachen University and the University of Cologne, he joined Bayer in 1988. His first duties were in the Corporate Finance Department in Leverkusen. In 1991 he transferred to Bayer Hispania Comercial in Barcelona, Spain, to take up a position as controller, becoming assistant to the managing director in 1995. One year later, he moved to Bayer Corporation in Tarrytown, New York, latterly heading up the global Business Planning & Administration organization of the Diagnostics Business Group. In July 2002, Baumann returned to Germany to become a member of the Executive Committee and Head of Central Administration & Organization at Bayer HealthCare. In October 2003, he was appointed a member of the Board of Management of the newly formed subgroup Bayer HealthCare AG, also serving as that company’s Labor Director. As a member of the Board of Management and Labor Director of Bayer Schering Pharma AG, Berlin, Germany, from 2006 through September 2009, he actively participated in this company’s integration into the former HealthCare subgroup.
Effective January 1, 2010, Baumann was Chief Financial Officer of Bayer AG. From October 1, 2014, until his appointment as Chairman of the Board of Management, he was Chief Strategy and Portfolio Officer. Between April and the end of December 2015, Baumann was additionally Chairman of the Board of Management of Bayer HealthCare AG. From January 1, 2020, to January 31, 2021, in addition to his role as CEO, he was also Labor Director of Bayer AG.
Werner Baumann is married and has four children.
