Roche Announces Senior Leadership Changes As Hans Clevers And Barbara Schädler Retire

Roche announced today the upcoming retirement of two key members of its senior leadership team: Dr. Hans Clevers and Barbara Schädler. Dr. Clevers, who has served as Head of Pharma Research and Early Development (pRED) and a member of the enlarged Corporate Executive Committee, will step down after a tenure marked by his contributions to advancing Roche’s early-stage pharmaceutical pipeline. He originally joined Roche’s Board of Directors in 2019 before taking on the pRED leadership role in March 2022.

Roche CEO Thomas Schinecker said, “Hans is an exceptional scientist who has been instrumental in translating cutting-edge science into improved patient outcomes. Under his leadership, the pRED organisation has accelerated several potentially transformational medicines into the final phase of development that will shape the company for the years to come.  It has been a pleasure working with him and I am thankful for his many contributions to our company and patients. While he will step down from his current role at the end of August, I am grateful that he will continue to lead our Institute of Human Biology until a successor is announced.”

Thomas Schinecker continued saying, “During more than six years at Roche, Barbara Schädler has fully integrated and modernised our company’s communication function. Communications is a core pillar representing who we are as Roche. Through Barbara’s expertise and leadership, she has successfully represented our company both internally and externally. Her resilience and determination were especially evident in her leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic when she championed our internal taskforce. I am thankful for everything that she has achieved and for our excellent collaboration.

Barbara Schädler, Head of Group Communications and also a member of the enlarged Corporate Executive Committee, is set to retire at the end of 2025. She joined Roche in 2019 and has since played a significant role in shaping the company's global communications strategy during a period of rapid innovation and organizational change.