Symeres has appointed Henning Steinhagen as its new Chief Executive Officer, signalling a leadership change aimed at accelerating the company’s next phase of growth in the global biotech and pharma services market.

 

His arrival comes as Symeres pushes to strengthen its position as a fully integrated strategic partner for biotech and pharmaceutical companies worldwide, building on its expanding “One Symeres” platform.

 

Steinhagen brings more than 25 years of leadership experience spanning pharma, biotech and the CRO/CDMO sector, combining deep scientific expertise with senior executive and board-level leadership.

 

He joins from Lario Therapeutics, where he served as CEO and co-founder, as well as Venture Partner at Epidarex Capital. His previous positions include President R&D at Aptuit, where he was a key member of the leadership team responsible for the company’s growth and successful sale to Evotec AG in 2017. Prior to that he acted as SVP and Head of Global Drug Discovery at Grünenthal and held senior roles at Sanofi-Aventis and Bayer.

 

He holds a PhD in Chemistry and an Executive MBA from IMD Lausanne, and is known for bridging scientific depth with commercial strategy—an alignment Symeres says fits its multidisciplinary strengths in chemistry, biology, ADME-tox and CMC.

 

Over recent years, Symeres has expanded significantly through organic growth and acquisitions, evolving into a transatlantic organisation with more than 500 scientists across nine global sites. The company is now positioning itself as a single, integrated platform supporting programs from early discovery through to development.

 

Steinhagen will now lead efforts to advance that strategy, focusing on unlocking the full potential of integrated chemistry and biology services.

 

“I was drawn to Symeres because of its unique capabilities and legacy in delivering and supporting biopharma from inception to IND,” said Steinhagen. “The team brings together deep scientific depth and a way of working that is genuinely collaborative and responsive.”

 

“With strong foundations in place, the opportunity ahead is to fully realize and unlock the power of integrated services across chemistry and biology. The goal is to create best-in-class solutions to rapidly advance even the most challenging programs for the benefit of our customers and ultimately patients.”

 

He succeeds Guillaume Jetten, who steps down after leading the company through a period of operational and scientific consolidation.

 

“Recently, we have made strong progress in bringing together our teams, capabilities and culture into one organization,” said Guillaume Jetten. “We are now seeing clear validation from our customers, who value the continuity, scientific depth and collaborative approach we offer. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved and confident that Steinhagen will build on this momentum and lead Symeres through its next phase of growth.”