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Bayer AG

Pharmaceuticals / Life Sciences / AgricultureFounded 1863
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Leadership History

Bayer: CEO History

4 leaders · 2002 to present

Who is the CEO of Bayer?

Bill Anderson is the CEO of Bayer, in the role since 2023. The first chief executive was Werner Wenning, from 2002.

Current CEO
Bill Anderson (since 2023)
First CEO
Werner Wenning (2002)
Leaders documented
4
Founded
1863
NameRoleFromToYears in role
Bill AndersonChief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Management2023Present3
Werner BaumannChief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Management201620237
Marijn DekkersChief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Management201020166
Werner WenningChief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Management200220108
Who was CEO of Bayer before Bill Anderson?
Werner Baumann was CEO of Bayer from 2016 to 2023, before Bill Anderson took over in 2023.

Company Overview

Bayer is a German life-science group founded in 1863 and headquartered in Leverkusen. Crop Science is the largest division, with ~$24.4 billion (EUR 21,622 million) of 2025 sales from seeds, traits, crop protection chemicals and the Climate FieldView digital platform. Pharmaceuticals follows at ~$20.1 billion (EUR 17,829 million), built on oncology, cardiovascular and renal medicines, women's health and radiology. Consumer Health adds ~$6.56 billion (EUR 5,802 million) of over-the-counter brands including Aspirin, Aleve and Claritin. Bayer chemists created aspirin in the 1890s; the company also bought Monsanto in 2018, and the litigation that came with that deal still shapes how it is valued. The company is headquartered in Leverkusen, Germany.

Bill Anderson

Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Management

2023 – Present

3 years (current)

Key Decisions & Impact

Launched Dynamic Shared Ownership in 2024; held the dividend at EUR 0.11 per share to fund deleveraging; kept the three divisions together after the March 2024 review; took the Durnell case to the US Supreme Court and proposed the Roundup class settlement of up to USD 7.25 billion.

Legacy

Anderson, a chemical engineer who previously ran Roche's pharmaceuticals division and Genentech, joined Bayer's Board of Management on April 1, 2023 and became CEO on June 1, 2023. He introduced the Dynamic Shared Ownership operating model, which Bayer says has removed about 12,000 positions and roughly 50 percent of its management positions and supports a ~$2.26 billion (EUR 2 billion) annual savings target for 2026. He held the dividend at the legally required minimum of EUR 0.11 per share and cut net financial debt 8.5 percent to ~$33.7 billion (EUR 29,843 million) during 2025. After a strategic review in March 2024 he decided against splitting the group for the time being. On litigation he ran two tracks: Monsanto's petition to the US Supreme Court in the Durnell case, decided 7 to 2 in Bayer's favour in June 2026, and a proposed US class settlement funded by payments of up to USD 7.25 billion. The supervisory board extended his contract to March 31, 2029 in July 2025.

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Werner Baumann

Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Management

2016 – 2023

7 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Bid for and completed the Monsanto acquisition in 2018; divested crop science assets to BASF for antitrust clearance; agreed the USD 10.9 billion Roundup settlement programme in 2020; retired the Monsanto brand name.

Legacy

Baumann became CEO in May 2016 and retired at the end of May 2023 after 35 years at Bayer. His defining decision was the acquisition of Monsanto, completed on June 7, 2018 at USD 128 per share, about USD 63 billion in total. Within weeks of closing a California jury returned the first Roundup cancer verdict, and the litigation that followed cost Bayer billions and drove down its share price. Shareholders voted against ratifying his management in 2019, an unusual rebuke for a sitting German chief executive, and he stayed four more years until his planned retirement. The deal did give Bayer the largest seed and crop protection business by sales.

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Marijn Dekkers

Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Management

2010 – 2016

6 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Acquired the consumer care business of Merck and Co. for USD 14.2 billion in 2014; spun off MaterialScience as Covestro through a 2015 IPO; concentrated Bayer on pharmaceuticals, consumer health and crop science.

Legacy

Dekkers was CEO from October 1, 2010 to April 30, 2016 and the first Bayer chief executive hired from outside the company. He narrowed Bayer to life sciences: in 2014 Bayer bought the consumer care business of Merck and Co. for USD 14.2 billion, adding Claritin, Coppertone and Dr. Scholl's, and in 2015 it listed the materials science division as Covestro on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. He left before the Monsanto bid was launched.

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Werner Wenning

Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Management

2002 – 2010

8 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Settled the Baycol litigation; reorganized Bayer into a holding structure with HealthCare, CropScience and MaterialScience subgroups; acquired Schering AG in 2006 for about $19.2 billion (EUR 17 billion); started the separation of MaterialScience.

Legacy

Wenning led Bayer from April 2002 to September 30, 2010. He took over months after the worldwide withdrawal of the cholesterol drug Baycol and spent his early years settling the claims that followed. He completed the reorganization of Bayer into a management holding company with separate subgroups, and in 2006 acquired Schering AG for about $19.2 billion (EUR 17 billion) after counter-bidding against Merck KGaA, creating Bayer Schering Pharma and Bayer's largest deal until Monsanto. He also began the separation of the materials business later listed as Covestro. He chaired Bayer's supervisory board from 2012 to April 2020.

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Challenges & Strategic Context

Bayer's problems overlap. About 65,000 US Roundup claims were still pending in September 2026 alongside a proposed class settlement worth up to USD 7.25 billion. Net financial debt stood at ~$33.7 billion (EUR 29.8 billion) at the end of 2025. Glyphosate pricing remains competitive, and Xarelto sales fell 32.6 percent to ~$2.65 billion (EUR 2,344 million) in 2025 as generics spread. On top of that, management has to change how a large German group is run without slowing research output.

Bayer CEO and Leadership FAQ

Who is Bill Anderson and what is his transformation agenda as CEO of Bayer?

Bill Anderson, a chemical engineer and former head of Roche's pharmaceuticals division and of Genentech, became CEO of Bayer on June 1, 2023. He introduced the Dynamic Shared Ownership operating model, held the dividend at the legal minimum of EUR 0.11 per share to cut debt, and pursued Roundup containment through the Durnell Supreme Court case and a proposed class settlement worth up to USD 7.25 billion. His contract was extended to March 31, 2029 in July 2025.

Who was Werner Baumann and what was his controversial legacy as Bayer CEO from 2016 to 2023?

Werner Baumann served as CEO for 7 years, orchestrating the $63 billion takeover of Monsanto in 2018; the acquisition triggered litigation liabilities and share price declines, leading to shareholder revolts and his replacement in 2023.

Who was Dr. Marijn Dekkers and what were his achievements as CEO of Bayer from 2010 to 2016?

Marijn Dekkers, former CEO of Thermo Fisher Scientific, restructured Bayer into a pure life sciences enterprise by spinning off its plastics and chemical division as Covestro (2015) and acquiring Merck & Co.'s consumer care business for $14.2 billion in 2014.

Who was Werner Wenning and how did he lead Bayer from 2002 to 2010?

Werner Wenning served as CEO (and later Supervisory Board Chairman), steering Bayer through the Baycol/Lipobay crisis, acquiring Schering AG in 2006 for ~$19.2 billion (€17 billion) to create Bayer Schering Pharma, and establishing the modern corporate foundation.

Who is Bayer's Chief Financial Officer?

Dr. Judith Hartmann became Chief Financial Officer of Bayer AG on June 1, 2026, succeeding Wolfgang Nickl, who had held the role since 2018. The supervisory board appointed her to the Board of Management in November 2025, effective March 1, 2026.

How long is Bill Anderson's contract as Bayer CEO?

In July 2025 the supervisory board of Bayer AG unanimously extended Bill Anderson's contract to March 31, 2029. It had originally been due to end on March 31, 2026, so the extension came while the Roundup settlement and the Durnell Supreme Court case were still open.

Who is Prof. Dr. Norbert Winkeljohann and what is his role on the Bayer Supervisory Board?

Prof. Dr. Norbert Winkeljohann (former Chairman of PwC Europe) serves as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Bayer AG, overseeing executive board management, governance reforms, and shareholder strategy.

How does the Supervisory Board of Bayer AG govern executive management?

Under German co-determination law, Bayer's Supervisory Board consists of 20 members (10 shareholder representatives and 10 employee labor representatives), governing major capital allocation, factory locations, and executive board appointments.

Who is the CEO of Bayer?

Bill Anderson was brought in as CEO in 2023 to aggressively restructure the company following the disastrous tenure of Werner Baumann, who orchestrated the catastrophic Monsanto deal.

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Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.