Albert Baehny

Albert Baehny
Nationality	Swiss
Occupation	Business executive, corporate chairman
Title	Chairman of the Board, Geberit; Former Chairman of the Board, Lonza Group
Known for	Chairman of Geberit, Chairman of Lonza Group

Albert Baehny is a Swiss business executive who has held senior leadership positions at major Swiss multinational corporations. He is known for his role as Chairman of the Board of Geberit, the Swiss manufacturer of sanitary products and piping systems, and for his tenure as Chairman of the Board of Lonza Group, a Swiss multinational company operating in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and nutrition sectors. During his six-year chairmanship at Lonza, Baehny oversaw a period of significant strategic transformation for the contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO), navigating leadership transitions and guiding the company through pivotal moments in the global biopharmaceutical industry. His announcement to step down from the Lonza chairmanship in January 2024, effective May of that year, marked the conclusion of an era defined by both expansion and executive turbulence at the company. Baehny also played a direct operational role at Lonza, stepping in as interim executive leader when CEO Marc Funk departed the company after a brief tenure.

Career

Geberit

Albert Baehny is closely associated with Geberit, the Swiss manufacturer headquartered in Rapperswil-Jona that specialises in sanitary technology and bathroom ceramics. He served as Chairman of the Board of Geberit, a role through which he became a well-known figure in Swiss corporate governance circles. Geberit, listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange, is a constituent of the Swiss Market Index and one of the larger industrial companies in Switzerland. Baehny's leadership at Geberit established his reputation as a senior figure in Swiss industry prior to his appointment at Lonza Group.

Chairman of Lonza Group

Baehny became Chairman of the Board of Lonza Group in 2018, taking the helm of one of Switzerland's most prominent companies in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology manufacturing sector. Lonza Group, headquartered in Basel, is a global contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) that provides services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and nutrition industries. The company operates major facilities in Europe, North America, and South Asia and is a component of the Swiss Market Index.

During Baehny's tenure as chairman, Lonza underwent a period of considerable strategic development and operational change. The company deepened its focus on biopharmaceutical manufacturing, positioning itself as one of the world's leading CDMOs. Lonza's role in the global pharmaceutical supply chain became particularly visible during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the company partnered with Moderna to scale up manufacturing capacity for the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine outside the United States. This partnership brought significant public attention to Lonza and underscored the company's central role in global biopharmaceutical manufacturing infrastructure.

Under Baehny's board leadership, Lonza also expanded its capabilities in cell and gene therapy, including operations at facilities in the United States. The company maintained a diversified global manufacturing footprint, with operations in India's Genome Valley and other locations across multiple continents.

CEO Transitions and Governance Challenges

One of the defining features of Baehny's chairmanship at Lonza was a series of unexpected leadership changes at the chief executive level, which drew scrutiny from investors and industry analysts.

In 2023, Lonza CEO Marc Funk departed the company after serving only approximately nine months in the role. Funk's sudden exit was described by the company as being for "personal reasons." In the wake of Funk's departure, Baehny assumed direct operational leadership of Lonza on an interim basis, taking over executive responsibilities while the board conducted a search for a permanent replacement.

This was not the first such disruption during Baehny's tenure. Earlier in 2023, the departure of CEO Pierre-Alain Ruffieux also attracted significant attention from analysts and the financial press. An analyst cited by BioProcess International suggested that the unexpected exit of Ruffieux was "most likely the Board's loss of confidence in his execution." The repeated turnover at the CEO level became a focal point of discussion about Lonza's governance and the role of the board, chaired by Baehny, in managing executive leadership.

Despite these challenges, Baehny worked to maintain strategic continuity for the company. In November 2023, as chairman, Baehny publicly addressed questions about Lonza's strategic direction, notably ruling out plans for the company to use its manufacturing capacity to fill syringes and provide final production steps for new obesity drugs, a market segment that was attracting intense interest across the pharmaceutical industry at the time. This decision reflected a strategic focus on Lonza's core biopharmaceutical CDMO business rather than diversification into adjacent manufacturing services.

Announcement of Retirement and Succession

On 26 January 2024, Lonza announced that Baehny would step down as chairman of the board at the company's annual general meeting in May 2024, ending a six-year tenure in the role. The announcement was made alongside the company's confirmation of its financial targets, and the news was received positively by investors, with Lonza's shares rising on the day of the announcement. Reuters reported the departure as part of a "second senior management reshuffle" at the company, reflecting the broader pattern of leadership changes that had characterized the preceding period.

In March 2024, it was reported that CEO Marc Funk had formally stepped down, and that Baehny would take over executive duties on an interim basis while a successor was identified.

In April 2024, Lonza announced the appointment of Wolfgang Wienand, who was at that time serving as CEO of the Swiss CDMO Siegfried, as the new Chief Executive Officer of Lonza. Wienand was set to transition into the role over the summer of 2024. Fierce Pharma described the hire as Lonza "poach[ing] CEO from rival" and noted the appointment came as Lonza was preparing for significant growth, including the integration of a plant acquired from Roche. BioProcess International framed the appointment in the context of Baehny's retirement, noting that "Wolfgang Wienand will take command of Lonza as Albert Baehny retires."

The completion of Baehny's tenure and the appointment of Wienand marked the conclusion of a turbulent governance period for Lonza and the beginning of a new leadership structure for the company.

Strategic Decisions and Industry Impact

During his chairmanship, Baehny oversaw decisions that shaped Lonza's positioning within the rapidly evolving CDMO industry. The global biopharmaceutical sector experienced significant growth during the late 2010s and early 2020s, driven by advances in biologics, cell and gene therapies, and the urgent demand for vaccine manufacturing capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lonza's partnership with Moderna for COVID-19 vaccine manufacturing was among the most visible developments during Baehny's chairmanship. The company's role in scaling up production of the mRNA-based vaccine outside the United States demonstrated the strategic value of Lonza's large-scale manufacturing infrastructure and its capacity for rapid expansion.

Baehny's decision in 2023 to steer Lonza away from the obesity drug fill-finish market, even as competitors and investors showed enthusiasm for the sector, reflected a governance approach that prioritised the company's existing competencies in biologics and custom manufacturing over opportunistic diversification.

By the end of fiscal year 2023, Lonza reported operating income of CHF 880 million and net income of CHF 655 million, with total assets of CHF 16.8 billion and shareholder equity of CHF 9.51 billion. The company employed approximately 18,000 people globally.

Legacy

Albert Baehny's tenure at Lonza Group is characterised by a combination of strategic growth and governance challenges. Under his chairmanship, the company strengthened its position as one of the world's leading CDMOs, expanded into cell and gene therapy manufacturing, and played a central role in the global COVID-19 vaccine response through its partnership with Moderna. At the same time, the repeated and unexpected departures of multiple CEOs during his tenure drew attention from investors and industry commentators, raising questions about board-level governance and executive management stability at Lonza.

Baehny's willingness to assume interim executive responsibilities during periods of leadership transition demonstrated an active governance approach, though this dual role of chairman and acting CEO also drew scrutiny regarding the separation of oversight and operational management.

The appointment of Wolfgang Wienand as CEO in 2024, coinciding with Baehny's planned retirement from the Lonza board, was seen as a stabilising move for the company. Industry publications noted the significance of recruiting a CEO from a rival CDMO, suggesting confidence in the company's strategic direction despite the preceding period of leadership disruption.

Baehny's career across Geberit and Lonza established him as a notable figure in Swiss corporate governance, with experience spanning industrial manufacturing and the biopharmaceutical sector.