Biographies

Manfred Schneider

The name of Dr. Manfred Schneider is linked to one of the biggest structural transformations in the Bayer Group's history. From 1992 to 2002, Dr. Schneider served as Chairman of the Board of Management, playing a major role in the steady consolidation of the company's core business fields and ultimately in the reorganization of the Bayer Group into the current holding structure. In this process, the HealthCare, CropScience, Polymers and Chemicals business areas were transformed into legally independent subgroups under the umbrella of the Bayer Group with a product portfolio that reflects changing market conditions.

Manfred Schneider was born in 1938 in Bremerhaven. He studied business management at the universities of Freiburg, Hamburg and Cologne. After earning his degree in business studies, he became Assistant to the Professor of Business Management at Aachen Technical University. During this time he also obtained his doctorate. Dr. Schneider joined Bayer AG in 1966. After working in the Organization, Auditing and Cost Accounting Departments, he transferred in 1971 to Duisburger Kupferhütte, at that time a subsidiary of Bayer AG, where he headed the Finance and Accounting Department. In 1981 he returned to Leverkusen, becoming head of Regional Coordination, Corporate Auditing and Controlling within the Corporate Staff Division three years later. Dr. Schneider joined the Board of Management in 1987. Upon his appointment as Chairman of the Board of Management in 1992, he also became Chairman of the Board Committee for Corporate Coordination.

During his decade-long tenure as Management Board Chairman, Dr. Schneider succeeded in further expanding Bayer's global market position for eight straight years, achieving record financial results. During this period, Bayer's market capitalization grew by about 200 percent. Dr. Schneider's achievements as Bayer CEO include the steady expansion of research and development activities and the establishment of the company's strong positions in the key North American and Asian markets. It was under his management, in January 2002, that Bayer became one of just a handful of German companies whose shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Another important milestone for the company's long-term success was reached when Bayer regained its trademark rights in the United States in 1995.

In 2002 Dr. Schneider succeeded Hermann Josef Strenger as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Bayer AG. He also holds a number of offices outside the company. He is, for example, head of the Supervisory Board of Linde AG, Wiesbaden, member of the Supervisory Boards of Allianz AG, Munich; Daimler AG, Stuttgart; Metro AG, Düsseldorf; TUI AG, Hannover; and RWE Aktiengesellschaft, Essen. From October 1999 until 2001 he was President of the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI).