- Peer M. Schatz to step down as CEO to pursue new opportunities
- Remains as Special Advisor to facilitate a smooth transition
- Search started for permanent CEO to lead QIAGEN in next growth phase
- Thierry Bernard to act as interim CEO, working in tandem with CFO Roland Sackers
Venlo, The Netherlands, October 7, 2019 – QIAGEN N.V. (NYSE: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) announced today that Peer M. Schatz, Chief Executive Officer, has notified the Company that, after 27 years at QIAGEN, he has decided to step down as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Management Board. He will remain with QIAGEN as Special Advisor to the Supervisory Board and transition into this role in the coming weeks. The Supervisory Board will now start a search for a permanent CEO. In the meantime, Thierry Bernard, Senior Vice President, Head of Molecular Diagnostics Business Area, will now act as interim CEO and work in tandem with Roland Sackers, Chief Financial Officer.
“It has been a tremendous privilege to serve as the CEO of QIAGEN for such a long time. I am incredibly proud of the market and technology leadership that we have created and what our teams and partners have accomplished together,” said Peer M. Schatz. “QIAGEN has contributed to modern molecular biology in a way very few companies have had the honor to do. We can build on a strong culture of openness, agility and dedication to ensuring that our customers can rely on our premier solutions to gain superior molecular insights.
“Our Life Sciences portfolio is facing accelerating growth, our Molecular Diagnostics portfolio is today second to none in terms of competitive profile, and now strengthened by our new strategic partnership with Illumina, and our bioinformatics portfolio has taken a strong and industry-defining position in digital solutions to gain molecular insights. We have a lot of opportunities and are entering into a new chapter of the QIAGEN growth story.
“And this is why, after 27 fantastic years at QIAGEN, I now see a natural inflection point to bring in new leadership and will support this process. I am looking forward to new opportunities and challenges, and while these will be outside of QIAGEN, I am fully convinced of the Company’s prosperous future and intend to remain a significant shareholder. I would like to thank all employees, customers, partners, stakeholders as well as the Executive Committee and the Supervisory Board for their tremendous contributions, loyalty and support during these decades in which biology transformed everyday life and is poised to fulfill its promise as the transformational science of this century.”
Dr. Håkan Björklund, Chairman of the QIAGEN Supervisory Board, said: “I know that I speak for everyone at QIAGEN in thanking Peer Schatz for his exceptional contributions and dedication to the Company. We all owe him tremendous gratitude for his outstanding leadership and track record that have contributed to the creation of a true success story in the life sciences industry and enabled such great advances in science and healthcare. We respect his decision to pursue other interests. We are, however, pleased that he will remain involved with QIAGEN as a Special Advisor and sharing his in-depth knowledge, extensive network and experience. We want to thank Thierry Bernard for accepting this interim role, providing leadership during this transition and working closely in tandem with Roland Sackers.”
Peer Schatz was one of the first employees of QIAGEN, and since 1993 has shaped an entrepreneurial, global leader that has an omnipresent role in molecular biology, a fundamental scientific revolution that is rapidly changing the world. Under Peer Schatz’s leadership, QIAGEN grew from $2 million of sales in 1993 to the current level of about $1.6 billion, while the market capitalization has increased by over 300 times and its employee base has grown from 25 employees to more than 5,200 today with a presence in over 35 countries. QIAGEN was also the first German company to transact an initial public offering and listing on NASDAQ in 1996.
About QIAGEN
QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands-based holding company, is the leading global provider of Sample to Insight solutions that enable customers to gain valuable molecular insights from samples containing the building blocks of life. Our sample technologies isolate and process DNA, RNA and proteins from blood, tissue and other materials. Assay technologies make these biomolecules visible and ready for analysis. Bioinformatics software and knowledge bases interpret data to report relevant, actionable insights. Automation solutions tie these together in seamless and cost-effective workflows. QIAGEN provides solutions to more than 500,000 customers around the world in Molecular Diagnostics (human healthcare) and Life Sciences (academia, pharma R&D and industrial applications, primarily forensics). As of June 30, 2019, QIAGEN employed approximately 5,200 people in over 35 locations worldwide. Further information can be found at http://www.qiagen.com.
Certain statements contained in this press release may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. To the extent that any of the statements contained herein relating to QIAGEN’s products, launches, regulatory submissions, collaborations, markets, strategy, taxes or operating results, including without limitation its expected net sales, net sales of particular products (including anticipated sales of its QuantiFERON latent TB Test, its portfolio of next generation sequencing solutions and QIAstat-Dx), adjusted net sales, adjusted diluted earnings per share results, product launches (including anticipated launches of digital PCR products, a new version of its QuantiFERON-TB test, QuantiFERON-TB Access, the QIAstat-Dx panel for respiratory conditions and a CE-IVD marked panel for meningitis), placements of QIAsymphony modular PCR instruments, improvements in operating and financial leverage, currency movements against the U.S. dollar, and plans for investment in its portfolio and share repurchase commitments, are forward-looking, such statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that involve a number of uncertainties and risks. Such uncertainties and risks include, but are not limited to, risks associated with management of growth and international operations (including the effects of currency fluctuations, regulatory processes and dependence on logistics); variability of operating results and allocations between customer classes; the commercial development of markets for our products to customers in academia, pharma, applied testing and molecular diagnostics; changing relationships with customers, suppliers and strategic partners; competition; rapid or unexpected changes in technologies; fluctuations in demand for QIAGEN’s products (including fluctuations due to general economic conditions, the level and timing of customers’ funding, budgets and other factors); our ability to obtain regulatory approval of our products; difficulties in successfully adapting QIAGEN’s products to integrated solutions and producing such products; the ability of QIAGEN to identify and develop new products and to differentiate and protect our products from competitors’ products; market acceptance of QIAGEN’s new products and the integration of acquired technologies and businesses; and the other factors discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” contained in Item 3 of our most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F. For further information, please refer to the discussions in reports that QIAGEN has filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).