Gunnar Riemann

Gunnar Riemann is a pharmacist with 30 years of experience in leadership roles in the international health and agricultural industries. He brings a broad range of experience to the table, including people development, product launches, restructuring & transformation processes, R&D, M&A and related work on corporate culture. He left the corporate world after having been on the board of the Bayer Healthcare AG and the Bayer Cropscience AG.

His customer centric view allows Gunnar to quickly understand how his experience and insights can benefit his clients – whether these are specific to social contexts or his broad international business experience having worked in different cultures and lived in three countries. His starting point in working with his clients is always a thorough understanding of their situation and needs – some of which are obvious, many of which usually need to be discovered together, by helping his clients build broader awareness for their situation. For his successful work with the client the chemistry has to fit, to create the needed level of trust. Then mutual learning and development can happen effectively.

Gunnar Riemann started his career as a plant manager in the Pharma Division of Bayer. He was then asked to take over R&D in the Consumer Care unit based in the US. Upon his return, he was put in charge of the Global Insect Control business unit and became a member of the ExCo of the Global Consumer Care business of Bayer. As a next step, he took responsibility for the region Asia/South America, later for the region Europe within Consumer Care. His focus areas were the internationalisation of the business, professionalisation of marketing, then selling of several consumer brands to focus the unit on the OTC business. He was then appointed a member of the Bayer Healthcare ExCo and took over the Global Biologicals business unit based in the US. He turned the business around, put manufacturing back on its feet after warning letters had been issued by the FDA, reestablished the credibility of the business internally and externally, and then sold the plasma business. From there he went to take over the Global Animal Health business of Bayer, and after a few years he was put in charge of the Global Pharma activities of Bayer. His focus areas here were the acquisition and integration of Schering AG, selecting the leadership team for the new business, developing, and implementing a R&D strategy, inlicensing of products in various stages of development, organisational & cultural development, as well as transformation management. Upon successful completion he became CEO of the Global Environmental Sciences unit based in France, with a view of revitalising the business based on a new strategy, a revised organisational structure, and a new approach to innovation. He left Bayer at the end of 2015 and works as a consultant and advisor ever since.

Gunnar lives in Berlin, with his wife, and together they have 4 grown-up children. He is member of the advisory board of various business and advises selected investment funds. Gunnar has broad political and economic interests, enjoys reading a lot and is passionate about rowing which he practices actively.