Udit Batra and Walter Galinat promoted to the Executive Board
Bernd Reckmann to retire
Darmstadt, Germany, January 19, 2016 – The Board of Partners of E. Merck KG has appointed two new members of the Executive Board of Merck KGaA: As of April 30, 2016, Udit Batra (45), Head of the Life Science business sector, and Walter Galinat (59), Head of the Performance Materials business sector, will become new members of the Executive Board while retaining their previous business responsibilities.
Bernd Reckmann (60), currently the Executive Board member responsible for Life Science and Performance Materials, will retire on conclusion of the Annual General Meeting on April 29, 2016.
"During Bernd Reckmann's term of office as the responsible Executive Board member, Merck built the Life Science business from modest beginnings, creating a global market leader. He also orchestrated the development of our Performance Materials business into a world-class technology and innovation powerhouse," said Johannes Baillou, Chairman of the Board of Partners of E. Merck KG. "The owners of the company are grateful to Bernd Reckmann and thank him for his many years of untiring commitment and loyalty. We trust that with Udit Batra and Walter Galinat, the Merck success story will continue, especially since both executives have been superbly managing their respective businesses for multiple years."
Walter Galinat joined Merck in 1976 as an apprentice. After earning a degree in Business Administration, in 1984 he moved to Taiwan, where he built up the local Merck subsidiary. He returned to Germany in 1994, became head of the Laboratory Products division, and in 1996 assumed the leadership of Eurolab, Merck's former laboratory distribution business. He was appointed head of the former Liquid Crystals division in 2007 and became CEO and President of today's Performance Materials business sector in 2010.
Udit Batra was awarded a PhD in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University and started his career at MSD in 1996. Prior to joining Merck, Batra worked for Novartis as Head of Global Public Health and Market Access for Vaccines and Diagnostics, as Global Head of Corporate Strategy, and as Country President of the pharmaceutical business in Australia. He joined Merck in 2011, taking over the leadership of the Consumer Health business. In March 2014, he was appointed CEO and President of Merck Millipore, the Merck Life Science business.
Bernd Reckmann started his career at Merck in 1986 in Diagnostics research, took over functions in marketing and sales, and was head of the Life Science Products division from 1998 to 2004. Reckmann, who holds a PhD in biochemistry, then became responsible for strategic innovation projects, moved as Managing Director to Korea in 2005, and upon his return to Germany in 2007 was appointed to the Executive Board.
Over the past ten years and under the leadership of Karl-Ludwig Kley, Merck has transformed itself from a classic, regionally focused supplier of pharmaceutical and chemicals into a global science and technology company. Since the beginning of 2015, the company has been organized into three business sectors - Healthcare, Life Science und Performance Materials. With today's personnel decisions, each will be directly represented on the Executive Board.
As of April 30, 2016, the Merck Executive Board will comprise the following members: Stefan Oschmann (Chairman of the Executive Board and CEO), Belén Garijo (CEO Healthcare), Udit Batra (CEO Life Science) and Walter Galinat (CEO Performance Materials) as well as Kai Beckmann (Chief Administration Officer) for Human Resources, and Marcus Kuhnert (CFO) for Finance.