Press release

Galenica is aligning its pharmacy business to an even greater focus on customers. With Stephan Mignot, Marketing for the pharmacies will have a direct seat on the Executive Committee. In addition, the two strategic growth areas “Products & Brands” and “Home Care” are being merged into a single unit under the management of Thomas Szuran for focused expansion. The changes will enter into force on 1 September 2024.

The long-standing CFO Felix Burkhard has decided to leave the company at the end of 2024 to embark on a new phase of his professional life. He will retain and continue his role as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Galenica Pension Fund. Julian Fiessinger will succeed him as CFO from 1 January 2025. Julian Fiessinger has headed “Investor Relations & Corporate Finance” at Galenica since 2021 and knows the financial market and the company inside out.

Development from a position of strength

The need for advisory and treatment services in pharmacies is constantly growing. With increasing pressure on healthcare costs and the growing importance of both in-pharmacy and digital healthcare services, the need for integrated care models will continue to grow. Strong customer loyalty, efficient processes and networked collaboration are key to long-term success. Accordingly, Galenica is further developing its organisation from a position of strength, as CEO Marc Werner explains: “We have achieved a lot in the past three years or so since the start of the transformation and are ready for the next step: to bring even more customer focus into our organisation and to grow in a more focused manner. We are doing this by regrouping competencies in individual teams and creating an additional unit dedicated to pharmacy marketing activities.”

“Pharmacies Marketing” is now represented on the Executive Committee of Galenica

By appointing Stephan Mignot, Head of Pharmacies Marketing, as an additional member of the Executive Committee, Galenica is underlining the strategic relevance and central role of customer focus in the implementation of its strategy and the associated objectives. Accordingly, a trio will work together to drive forward the pharmacy sector in the future. “Pharmacies Sales” under the leadership of Virginie Pache will continue to focus on sales and advisory activities as well as the expansion strategy. “Pharmacies Category Management & Health Services”, headed by Daniele Madonna, will develop the best offering for omni-channel pharmacies. The newly established “Pharmacies Marketing” sector ensures an even greater customer focus.

With the right range of products and healthcare services, the three members of the Executive Committee in “Pharmacies” will work together to expand the pharmacy’s positioning as the first point of contact in healthcare. The strategic objectives remain to increase market share, increase healthcare services sales and profitability, and improve customer satisfaction in terms of the recommendation rate (NPS). Stephan Mignot will support pharmacies in offering the best customer experience through the new “Pharmacies Marketing” sector and will be responsible for the vision for the future pharmacy experience. He started his career at Swisscom Mobile in market analysis and marketing strategy before holding various management positions at the Swiss telecom provider. He joined the Galenica Group in 2023 as Head of B2C Customer Marketing.

Focused growth for our network partners

As a further adjustment, Galenica will combine the majority of its network partners in the “Products & Home Care” unit under the management of Thomas Szuran as of 1 September 2024. The focus is on focused further development of the strategic growth areas “Products & Brands” and “Home Care”. The Verfora Group, the Home Care segment and other units are now included in “Products & Home Care”. The organisational changes as a whole contribute to the strategic objectives and were derived from the trends influencing the healthcare industry. According to CEO Marc Werner, the further development addresses the need for a greater focus on customers in the organisation: “Thanks to the adapted structure, the expansion of products and services is systematically geared towards all sales channels – i.e. omni-channel. This is how the progress we have made in digitalisation in recent years is having an effect. We are also creating the conditions for optimum market cultivation and focused growth.”

Handover of the position of CFO as of January 2025

Galenica announces another change in the position of CFO. Felix Burkhard, who has been with the company since 1996, will hand over his responsibilities to his successor at the end of the year. He will continue in his role as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Galenica Pension Fund. On the timing of his resignation, he says: “It’s a good moment, both for Galenica and for me personally. On the one hand, I firmly believe that in Julian Fiessinger we have developed an ideal successor for the position of CFO. He knows the company inside out, has a broad network in the financial sector and will ensure both continuity and a breath of fresh air. For me personally, it’s an opportunity to start a new chapter in my career.” In May 2024, Felix Burkhard was elected to the board of directors of Orior.

Thanks to a long-standing leader

Felix Burkhard joined Galenica almost 30 years ago as Head of Corporate Controlling. In 2000, he became Deputy Head of Retail, which was associated with Galenica’s entry into the pharmacy business. Felix Burkhard became head of the Amavita pharmacy chain in 2008 and took over the management of the retail business two years later. In this role, he became a member of the Executive Committee in 2010. He stepped down from his role as Head of Retail in 2015 and assumed responsibility for strategic projects. This primarily included the spin-off of the Swiss-focused healthcare business of Vifor Pharma. This resulted in the successful IPO (initial public offering) in 2017 – the birth of today’s Galenica. Since then, Felix Burkhard has been CFO of Galenica – and in this role a highly valued colleague and business partner by employees, investors and analysts alike.

Continuity in the future Executive Committee

Felix Burkhard’s successor, Julian Fiessinger, knows the company inside out and is well connected in the financial sector. He has been Head of Investor Relations & Corporate Finance at Galenica since 2021. Julian Fiessinger started his career at EY Switzerland in 2006 and worked as a senior manager in auditing and consulting until 2018. From 2018 to 2020, he was Head of Financial Reporting & Tax at Vifor Pharma. In 2021, he joined the Galenica Group as Head of Investor Relations & Corporate Finance.

Galenica – well-connected healthcare partner

Galenica serves more than 100,000 customers in Switzerland in its pharmacies every day. As an important partner in the healthcare sector, it is committed to providing reliable healthcare at stable costs. With its core business – pharmacies, logistics, its products and the Home Care sector – it has a broad and successful position in the market. As a network, the company contributes its wide-ranging skills and broad expertise to solve major societal challenges and cooperates with strong partners.

The new organisational structure reflects the progress made in the company’s transformation. “Today, we are closer to our customers and in the industry and are well connected”, says CEO Marc Werner. “The business is directly represented on the Executive Committee and we work together in a flat, cross-functional manner. By centralising the supporting areas People & Culture, IT and Finance, we have improved collaboration, are driving forward overarching processes and systems, and are realising synergies. Transparency of ongoing projects helps us to drive the future forward with an eye for the big picture.”

Composition of the Galenica Group Executive Committee as of 1 September 2024

The Extended Executive Committee as an integral part of the management team:

Stephan Mignot
Member of the Galenica Group Executive Committee since 1 September 2024, born 1976, Swiss citizen.

Career highlights:

Stephan Mignot started his career at Swisscom Mobile in market analysis and marketing strategy and was later responsible for the M-Budget Mobile partnership with Swiss retailer Migros. From 2008 he was responsible for segment marketing at Swisscom and from 2013 for Customer Base Management in the Residential Customers segment. From 2020 to 2023, Stephan Mignot headed up Swisscom Residential Customer & Channel Management. He joined the Galenica Group in 2023 as Head of B2C Customer Marketing.

Qualifications:

• Studied business administration at the University of Bern
• Master of Science (MSc) from the University of Bern
• Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Agile Leadership from HWZ Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Business Administration

Julian Fiessinger
Member of the Executive Committee of the Galenica Group since 1 January 2025, born in 1982, German and Swiss citizen.

Career highlights:

Julian Fiessinger started his career at EY Switzerland in 2006 and worked as a senior manager in auditing and consulting until 2018. From 2018 to 2020, he was Head of Financial Reporting & Tax at Vifor Pharma. In 2021, he joined the Galenica Group as Head of Investor Relations & Corporate Finance.

Qualifications:

• Graduate in business administration from the European School of Business (Reutlingen/Reims)
• Certified accountant

Dates for the diary

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Welcome to the Galenica network!
Our ambition is to meet the needs of patients and customers in the Swiss healthcare market in a seamless, efficient and personalised way. To achieve this, we operate the Galenica network with over 20 Business Units, the strongest partners in the Swiss healthcare market. We offer fully inte-grated solutions both for customers and patients as well as for pharmacies, drugstores, medical practices, hospitals, retirement and nursing homes, home care providers, wholesalers, pharma-ceutical companies, health insurance funds and other partners.
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