Overview
- Biontech confirmed that Guido Oelkers will take over as CEO no later than February 1, 2027, replacing co-founder Ugur Şahin in the company’s planned leadership handover.
- Şahin and co‑founder Özlem Türeci have said they will leave operational roles by the end of 2026, will remain shareholders, and Şahin pledged to actively support Oelkers’ onboarding.
- Oelkers joins from Swedish Orphan Biovitrum (Sobi), where he led the company since 2017, and brings prior experience at Hoechst and a track record in bringing drugs to the U.S. market.
- Biontech is carrying out production-site closures announced in May that affect facilities in Idar‑Oberstein, Marburg, Singapore and acquired Curevac sites and could impact up to 1,860 jobs.
- The company has refocused its strategy on obtaining regulatory approval for multiple cancer medicines by 2030 and on next‑generation mRNA development while the founders form a new mRNA venture, a shift that prioritizes commercial execution and regulatory work.