Overview
- BioNTech announced Monday that Guido Oelkers will take over as CEO no later than February 1, 2027, and founder Uğur Şahin said he will actively support the handover.
- Founders Uğur Şahin and Özlem Türeci plan to step back from day-to-day roles by the end of 2026 and will start a new mRNA company while remaining BioNTech shareholders.
- The company is carrying out a major restructuring that includes planned closures at sites in Idar-Oberstein, Marburg, Tübingen and Singapore and could affect up to 1,860 jobs with shutdowns running into 2027.
- Recent results show a sharp drop in Covid-19 vaccine revenue and rising development costs, with first-half 2026 losses of about €1.4 billion and a downward revision to full-year sales expectations.
- Oelkers, who led Swedish Orphan Biovitrum (Sobi), is expected to prioritize US commercialization and push late-stage oncology candidates such as Pumitamig and Gotistobart toward approval to help restore profitability.