SWITZERLAND – Bacthera, the Live Biotherapeutic Products (LBP) 50/50 joint venture established by Chr. Hansen and Lonza, has appointed Lukas Schüpbach as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer, effective February 1, 2020.

Lukas Schüpbach, 50, will join Bacthera from Emavant Solutions where he served as the global head of Strategy and Operations.

Lukas is also the co-founder of Innojection and has previously held senior leadership positions at Syngenta and Novartis. He holds a master’s degree in Business from the University of Basel and a master’s degree in Economics from the HEC in Lausanne.

CEO of Chr. Hansen and Chairman of the Board at Bacthera, Mauricio Graber says: “Lukas comes with a proven track record of delivering results and visionary leadership.

“Bacthera gets a CEO with a rounded profile, from an entrepreneurial mindset to building and aligning cross functional teams in large organizations.

“I am convinced his pharma experience, and extensive network, will be very valuable for Bacthera’s growth plans and the company’s ambition to be a pioneer in the emerging live-biotherapeutic market.”

Lukas commented: “Leading Bacthera on the exciting journey that the company has embarked on is a great opportunity. Bacthera is a pioneer in an emerging industry and I am excited, yet humble, about becoming part of this venture.

“The nature of the company allows me to combine my experience from the life-sciences industry and the biotech start up scene, contributing to ultimately realize Bacthera’s strong purpose of bringing life-changing treatments to patients.

“I really look forward to getting to know the business in depth, meeting the dedicated employees and starting to engage with companies innovating in this field.”

Bacthera’s interim CEO, Christian Bigum will continue to serve as acting CEO until Lukas Schüpbach takes up his new position on February 1, 2020.

Christian Bigum comments: “Lukas and I have already planned a solid transition that will ensure full alignment on Bacthera’s strategy and priorities while maintaining the strong business momentum we have right now.

“I am pleased to handover the torch to Lukas – he is not only a strong business builder and charismatic leader, but also sincerely inspired by Bacthera’s purpose of shaping the future of medicine.”

The joint venture operates from its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland and has production facilities in Denmark and Switzerland, where the company engages in manufacturing of live biotherapeutic products (LBP).