The leader of Roche’s diagnostics division, Roland Diggelmann, announced plans to leave the company, effective Sept. 30.
Michael Heuer, Roche Diagnostics’ region head for Europe, Middle East, Africa and Latin America, will take over until a successor is named, and will also take Digglemann’s spot on the company’s corporate executive committee.
The diagnostics division accounted for nearly a quarter of Roche’s sales in 2017, gathering about 12.1 billion Swiss francs ($12.4 billion), with immunotherapy diagnostics being a leading contributor to its 5% growth, especially in centralized and point-of-care solutions. The division’s marketing and distribution also increased that year, with higher spending in emerging markets such as China.
In a statement, Roche CEO Severin Schwan, himself a veteran of the diagnostics division, thanked Digglemann for his contributions during his 10 years at the company, and described Heuer as a respected leader with a wealth of experience in diagnostics.
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Diggelmann began at Roche in 2008, and previously served as region head of Asia Pacific for Roche Diagnostics before being named chief in 2012—when the Swiss giant’s pharma COO Pascal Soriot took a new job at AstraZeneca, causing then-diagnostics COO Daniel O’Day to take his place. Later that year, Roche broke ground for a $300 million expansion of its diagnostics headquarters in Indianapolis.
Prior to Roche, Diggelmann worked in sales and marketing for Sulzer Medica/Centerpulse and Zimmer.
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Heuer joined Boehringer Mannheim in 1983 and, following Roche’s acquisition in 1998, was appointed to his current role in 2008. He has held various leadership roles in sales, marketing and product development in Germany, Austria and the U.S.