Mississauga, March 17, 2026 – Bayer announced today that Laura Thompson, currently Vice President of Sales, has been appointed Country Division Head, Consumer Health, Canada, effective immediately. Thompson succeeds Ryan Engel, who will transition to the role of General Manager, Digestive Health in the United States.
With more than 25 years of sales and commercial leadership experience Thompson brings deep expertise in Canada’s over-the-counter market and a track record of building high-performing teams and customer partnerships.
“Canada’s consumer health landscape is evolving rapidly, and our opportunity is to deliver everyday health solutions that are easier to find, understand, and trust,” said Laura Thompson, Country Division Head, Consumer Health. “I’m honored to lead this outstanding team. We will build on our momentum with our retail partners, accelerate innovation planning, and bring an ownership mindset to how we serve consumers across Canada.”
Thompson joined Bayer one year ago and has already made a notable impact. She has strengthened team culture and enhanced key processes such as joint business and innovation planning, while establishing strong relationships with major retail partners in a short period.
Prior to Bayer, Thompson held global and regional leadership roles at Kenvue, including leading the Target U.S. team and contributing to corporate strategy initiatives in global sales capability and new business model development. Her appointment underscores Bayer’s commitment to serving Canadian consumers with trusted, accessible OTC solutions and to partnering closely with customers to grow and modernize the consumer health category.
“Laura is a proven commercial leader with deep expertise in the Canadian OTC market and a strong record of developing teams and partnerships,” said Dave Tomasi, President, Consumer Health. “Her focus on disciplined execution and collaborative ways of working will strengthen Bayer’s position in Canada and deliver more value for consumers and customers alike. I also want to thank Ryan Engel for his exceptional leadership of our Consumer Health Canada team, and look forward to his continued success as General Manager of our Digestive Health business in the U.S.”
About Bayer
Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. In line with its mission, “Health for all, Hunger for none,” the company’s products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to driving sustainable development and generating a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2025, the Group employed around 88,000 people and had sales of 45.6 billion euros. R&D expenses amounted to 5.8 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.
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