At Symeres, we are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Henning Steinhagen as Chief Executive Officer. His arrival marks an exciting step forward as we continue to build on our integrated platform and expand our role as a strategic partner to biotech and pharmaceutical companies worldwide.
Dr. Steinhagen brings more than 25 years of leadership experience across pharma, biotech and the CRO/CDMO sector. With a strong scientific foundation and extensive experience in both R&D and executive leadership, he joins us at a pivotal moment in our growth.
As a seasoned CEO, board director and R&D executive, Dr. Steinhagen brings more than 25 years of experience across pharma, biotech and the CRO/CDMO sector. He joins from Lario Therapeutics, where he served as CEO and co-founder, as well as Venture Partner at Epidarex Capital. His previous positions include President R&D at Aptuit, where he was a key member of the leadership team responsible for the company’s growth and successful sale to Evotec AG in 2017. Prior to that he acted as SVP and Head of Global Drug Discovery at Grünenthal and held senior roles at Sanofi-Aventis and Bayer Pharma.
Dr. Steinhagen holds a PhD in Chemistry and an Executive MBA from IMD Lausanne. He combines deep scientific expertise with strategic and commercial leadership experience, aligning closely with our multidisciplinary capabilities across chemistry, biology, ADME-tox and CMC.
Over recent years, we have grown significantly through a combination of organic expansion and targeted acquisitions, evolving into a fully integrated transatlantic organisation with more than 500 scientists across nine global sites. Building on this foundation, Dr. Steinhagen will focus on advancing Symeres’ vision of being a crucial partner from discovery through development with its “One Symeres” integrated platform that serves strategic partnerships across biotech and pharma.
Commenting on his appointment, Dr. Steinhagen said:
“I was drawn to Symeres because of its unique capabilities and legacy in delivering and supporting biopharma from inception to IND,” said Dr. Steinhagen. “The team brings together deep scientific depth and a way of working that is genuinely collaborative and responsive.”
He added: “With strong foundations in place, the opportunity ahead is to fully realize and unlock the power of integrated services across chemistry and biology. The goal is to create best-in-class solutions to rapidly advance even the most challenging programs for the benefit of our customers and ultimately patients.”
Dr. Steinhagen succeeds Guillaume Jetten, who has served as CEO and played a key role in strengthening our operational and scientific foundations during a period of growth and transformation.
Reflecting on the transition, Guillaume Jetten said:
“Recently, we have made strong progress in bringing together our teams, capabilities and culture into one organization,” said Guillaume Jetten. “We are now seeing clear validation from our customers, who value the continuity, scientific depth and collaborative approach we offer. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved and confident that Dr. Steinhagen will build on this momentum and lead Symeres through its next phase of growth.”
For more information, please read the full press release.
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