Roche has promoted from within to find the new head of its diagnostics business.
Thomas Schinecker, global business head of the division’s burgeoning centralized and point-of-care solutions arm, will become CEO of Roche Diagnostics starting Aug. 1.
He’ll be taking over from Michael Heuer, who plans to retire at the end of next month after holding the post on an interim basis since last September, when former CEO Roland Diggelmann stepped down from the company.
"Michael Heuer joined Roche following the acquisition of Boehringer Mannheim in 1998 and, after a long and distinguished career, has played a key role in making our company the world's leading provider of diagnostic solutions," Roche CEO Severin Schwan said in a statement.
RELATED: Roche Diagnostics head Roland Diggelmann to step down
Schwan, a veteran of the diagnostics division himself, also cited Schinecker’s international experience. After beginning as a trainee in 2003, Schinecker has held management positions in marketing, sales and product development in Singapore, Austria, Sweden and the U.S., as well as general manager of Roche Diagnostics Germany. Going forward he will also serve as a member of the corporate executive committee.
Heuer, meanwhile, had joined Boehringer Mannheim in 1983, and following the acquisition held several roles before being named head of Roche’s Near Patient Testing business. He also served as head of diagnostics for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.
RELATED: The top 10 medtech companies of 2024 | Roche
Roche’s diagnostics division accounted for over 22% of the Swiss group’s total international sales in 2018, bringing in $12.98 billion U.S. compared to the pharmaceutical side’s $44.29 billion.
And for the past two years, Schinecker’s centralized and point-of-care unit has been the largest contributor—it showed 8% growth in 2018, driven mainly by expansions in its serum immunodiagnostics and clinical chemistry businesses, and moves into the Asia-Pacific region.
Additionally, the company’s molecular and tissue diagnostics units also saw sales growth last year—of 5% and 10%, respectively—including in blood tests and screenings as well as in its slide staining portfolio and digital pathology work.
RELATED: Roche, GE launch integrated tumor diagnosis dashboard
Roche also announced further changes to its board of directors and corporate leadership: Peter Voser, a member since 2011, will step down at the end of this month after being named interim CEO of the Swiss engineering firm ABB this past April.