Bayer named Marianne De Backer PhD as the new Head of Business Development & Licensing of its Pharmaceuticals Division. She will report to Stefan Oelrich, Member of the Board of Management, Bayer AG, and President of the company’s Pharmaceuticals Division and join the Pharmaceuticals Executive Committee with immediate effect.
De Backer will be based in Berkeley, CA, USA and lead Bayer’s external pharmaceutical growth strategy and activities globally in all key areas of pharmaceutical innovation and alliance management.
“Marianne De Backer is a recognized business leader with an impressive track record spanning over two decades in research, commercial, as well as licensing, mergers and acquisitions,” said Stefan Oelrich, Member of the Board of Management, Bayer AG, and President of the company’s Pharmaceuticals Division. “Her breadth of experience in successfully forming and managing external alliances will be one of the key drivers for Bayer’s continued growth, ultimately aimed at providing new medicines and solutions to patients.”
De Backer joins Bayer from Johnson & Johnson where she spearheaded Business Development activities across different therapeutic areas and geographies, which in many cases led to medicines now available to patients. She most recently held the position of Vice President of M&A Operations and Divestitures for the Pharmaceuticals Group and led Infectious Diseases & Vaccines Business Development including transactions, acquisitions, scientific licensing and alliance management. De Backer received her PhD from the University of Ghent, Belgium and her MBA from Rotterdam School of Management, The Netherlands. She is a member of the Board of Ecohealth Alliance in New York City and Gladstone Foundation in San Francisco.
“What inspires me every day is that every partnership holds the promise to make a fundamental difference for patients,” said De Backer. “I am honored to be joining this world-class organization, deeply rooted in using science for a better life, and with a vision of growth through innovation. We are looking forward to working with partners from across the world to make this vision a reality.”