Author: pr-moritz
Last saved by: Roland Birkhoff
Company: Bayer
Document comments: V-2024-03-05

Not intended for U.S. and UK Media

Bayer appoints Dr. Christoph Koenen, MD, as Chief Medical Officer

Berlin, October 1, 2026 – Bayer today announced the appointment of Dr. Christoph Koenen, MD, as Chief Medical Officer, effective October 1, 2026. He will lead medical and scientific strategies across the organization and assume these responsibilities in addition to his current role as Head of Clinical Development and Operations of the Pharmaceuticals Division. 

“The Chief Medical Officer role reinforces Bayer’s commitment to keeping patient needs and patient safety at the center of medical and scientific decision-making throughout the product lifecycle,” said Stefan Oelrich, Member of the Board of Management of Bayer AG and President of the company’s Pharmaceuticals Division. “Christoph Koenen brings deep experience as a physician, former Chief Medical Officer, and global R&D leader. His leadership will help further integrate clinical development and medical activities as we advance our strategic focus in R&D on delivering transformative medicines to patients faster.”

A physician and business leader with more than 25 years of global pharmaceutical experience, Christoph Koenen has held senior leadership roles at Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Novo Nordisk, Boehringer Ingelheim, and GSK. Before joining Bayer in 2022, he served as Chief Medical Officer at Otsuka Pharmaceutical, where he oversaw global development, regulatory affairs, medical affairs, pharmacovigilance, quality, technical operations, value and access, and portfolio strategy.

Christoph Koenen is committed to advancing innovation in clinical development, improving patient access to new therapies, and fostering collaboration across the healthcare ecosystem. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of TransCelerate BioPharma, supporting industry-wide innovation and the modernization of clinical research. Christoph Koenen holds an MD from Ruprecht Karls University School of Medicine (Heidelberg), an MBA from Schiller International University (Florida/Heidelberg), and is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Diabetology.

Bayer focuses on therapeutic areas where the medical need is greatest, including oncology, cardiovascular and renal diseases, neurology and rare diseases, and immunology. The company is currently advancing around 30 projects in clinical development.

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 support efforts to master major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population 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.

Contact for media inquiries:
Derin Denham, phone +1 973 610 7324
Email: derin.denham@bayer.com

Find more information at https://pharma.bayer.com/
Follow us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/bayer

dd	(2026-0166e)

Forward-Looking Statements
This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer’s public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments. 

Bayer AG is a holding company with operating subsidiaries worldwide. References to “Bayer” or “the company” herein may refer to one or more subsidiaries as context requires.