Christoph Franz

Christoph Franz
Born	2 5, 1960
Birthplace	Frankfurt, West Germany
Nationality	German
Occupation	Business executive, engineer
Title	Former Chairman of Roche Holding
Known for	Chairman of Roche Holding, CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG

Christoph Franz (born 2 May 1960 in Frankfurt, West Germany) is a German engineer and business executive who has held senior leadership positions at some of Europe's most prominent companies. He served as the chief executive officer of Deutsche Lufthansa AG from 2011 to 2014, during which time he oversaw significant restructuring efforts at the flagship German airline. Following his tenure at Lufthansa, Franz was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors at Roche Holding, the Swiss pharmaceutical and diagnostics company, a position he held from 2014 until 2023. Throughout his career, Franz has been associated with leadership roles across the aviation, pharmaceutical, insurance, and cultural sectors, serving on multiple boards and advisory bodies across Europe. His leadership philosophy, articulated during his time at Lufthansa, emphasised the importance of institutional willingness to embrace change even during periods of profitability.

Early Life

Christoph Franz was born on 2 May 1960 in Frankfurt am Main, then part of West Germany. Frankfurt, a major financial and transport hub in Germany, was home to the headquarters of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, the company Franz would later lead as chief executive. Details regarding Franz's family background and upbringing have not been extensively documented in public sources. As a trained engineer, Franz pursued a technical education that would form the foundation of his career in the transportation and industrial sectors.

Career

Early Career and Deutsche Bahn

Before joining the aviation industry, Christoph Franz built his career in the transportation sector. According to his corporate biography published by Lufthansa, Franz accumulated experience in management and engineering roles that prepared him for senior executive positions in large European transportation companies. His background as an engineer informed his approach to operational management, including an emphasis on efficiency and structural reform.

Lufthansa

Christoph Franz was appointed to the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG and subsequently named as the successor to the outgoing CEO. On 22 September 2010, Lufthansa announced that Franz had been appointed Chairman of the Executive Board (Vorstandsvorsitzender) of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, effective 1 January 2011. He officially assumed the role of CEO on 1 January 2011.

During his time leading Lufthansa, Franz focused on restructuring and modernization of the airline group. He emphasised the necessity of continual adaptation, even when a company was performing well financially. In a 2014 interview with Business Insider, Franz articulated his core leadership philosophy: "Never be too satisfied." He explained that creating a corporate culture that valued change was essential regardless of current profitability levels, noting that complacency could undermine long-term competitiveness.

Franz's tenure at Lufthansa coincided with a challenging period for the European aviation industry, marked by volatile fuel prices, increasing competition from low-cost carriers, and economic uncertainty in the eurozone. The Financial Times reported on various strategic decisions and challenges faced by Lufthansa under Franz's leadership.

Franz served as CEO of Lufthansa until 2014. His successor, Carsten Spohr, was named as the new CEO to take over leadership of the airline group. The transition was announced as part of an orderly succession plan, with Franz departing to take on a new role in the pharmaceutical industry.

Chairman of Roche Holding

In September 2013, reports emerged that Franz was in line to become the next Chairman of the Board of Directors at Roche Holding, one of the world's largest pharmaceutical and diagnostics companies, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland. The nomination was subsequently confirmed. In September 2013, the European Pharmaceutical Review reported that the Roche Board of Directors intended to propose Christoph Franz for election as Chairman at the Annual Shareholders Meeting scheduled for 4 March 2014.

The Financial Times reported on the appointment, noting the significance of an aviation executive transitioning to the chairmanship of a major pharmaceutical company. Franz was elected Chairman of Roche at the March 2014 Annual General Meeting, succeeding in the role and taking charge of the board's oversight of one of the pharmaceutical industry's largest enterprises.

As Chairman, Franz oversaw Roche's strategic direction during a period of significant developments in the pharmaceutical and diagnostics sectors. Under the board's governance during his chairmanship, Roche continued to invest in its pipeline of pharmaceutical products and diagnostics capabilities. In January 2023, following the departure of pharma chief Bill Anderson, Franz and the board indicated that Roche would look internally for a successor, reflecting a preference for leadership continuity.

In July 2022, Roche announced that Christoph Franz had decided not to seek re-election to the Board of Directors at the Annual General Meeting in March 2023. In December 2022, Roche provided further details regarding changes to the Board of Directors and the Corporate Executive Committee, confirming the planned transition in leadership at the board level. Franz's tenure as Chairman of Roche thus spanned approximately nine years, from 2014 to 2023.

Other Board Memberships and Affiliations

Following his tenure at Roche, Franz continued to hold positions on various corporate and advisory boards. In March 2014, shortly after leaving Lufthansa and assuming the Roche chairmanship, Zurich Insurance Group nominated Franz as a member of its Board of Directors. Franz's profile on the Zurich Insurance Group website confirms his role within the company's corporate governance structure.

Franz has also been associated with Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., a Japanese pharmaceutical company that is a member of the Roche Group. According to Chugai's corporate website, Franz has been listed among the company's directors and officers, reflecting the close corporate relationship between Roche and Chugai. In January 2025, Chugai announced organizational and personnel changes effective March and April 2025, which included changes related to board composition.

Franz has been a member of the European Round Table of Industrialists (ERT), an organization comprising chief executives and chairmen of major European multinational companies. He has also been involved with Avenir Suisse, a Swiss think tank focused on liberal economic and social policy research.

In the cultural sphere, Franz has served on the Board of Trustees of the Lucerne Festival, one of the leading classical music festivals in Europe. He has also been associated with the Berliner Bürger- und Unternehmensgesellschaft (BBUG), a civic organization in Berlin.

Earlier in his career, Franz was associated with JetBlue Airways. A press release from JetBlue in February 2008 referenced Franz in connection with the airline's investor relations activities.

Leadership Philosophy

Franz's public statements during his tenure at Lufthansa revealed a management philosophy centered on the imperative of continuous change. In his 2014 interview with Business Insider, conducted as he was preparing to leave the airline, Franz stressed that organizations must resist complacency. He argued that even profitable companies needed to cultivate an internal culture that questioned existing practices and embraced transformation. According to Franz, the greatest risk to a successful company was the assumption that current success would naturally continue without proactive adaptation to changing market conditions.

This philosophy was reflected in his approach at both Lufthansa, where he pursued restructuring during a turbulent period for European aviation, and at Roche, where the pharmaceutical industry was undergoing rapid transformation driven by advances in personalized medicine and diagnostics.

Personal Life

Christoph Franz was born and raised in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Publicly available information about his personal life is limited. His career has been based primarily in Germany and Switzerland, with the Lufthansa headquarters in Frankfurt and Cologne and the Roche headquarters in Basel serving as his principal places of work. Franz has maintained a relatively private personal profile, with public appearances and statements largely confined to his professional roles.