Bayer Announces Restructuring of U.S. Corporate Affairs To Support Business Priorities, Accelerated Growth Plans

WHIPPANY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bayer today announced a reorganization of its U.S. Corporate Affairs team which will separate Communications and Public Affairs responsibilities.

The U.S. Communications function will include current divisional and corporate teams, and the U.S. Public Affairs function will include current U.S. Government Relations and Policy teams, along with U.S. Corporate Engagement. The move aligns with the priorities and anticipated growth trajectories of the global life sciences company’s Crop Science, Pharmaceutical and Consumer Health businesses in the U.S.

Beth Roden, formerly head of Global Crop Science Communications, has been appointed to the new role of Senior Vice President and Head of U.S. Communications. She will also lead Communications for Consumer Health North America. Roden will report in both roles to Patrick Lockwood-Taylor, President of Bayer U.S. and President, Consumer Health, North America. She will join the U.S. Country Leadership Team and the Consumer Health North America Leadership Team. Roden will also continue to be a member of the Global Communications Leadership Team led by Michael Preuss, Head of Communications at Bayer AG.

Michael Parrish, Vice President, U.S. Government Relations, will lead U.S. Public Affairs on an interim basis. Parrish will report to Lockwood-Taylor and join the U.S. Country Leadership Team and the global Public Affairs, Science and Sustainability team, led by Matthias Berninger. Parrish will continue to lead the corporate and healthcare government relations and policy teams currently reporting to him.

Roden and Parrish assumed their new responsibilities effective April 5, 2021.

In addition, the U.S. Corporate Engagement team, led by Al Mitchell, Vice President, U.S. Corporate Engagement, will become part of U.S. Public Affairs.

Raymond F. Kerins, Jr., Senior Vice President and Head of U.S. Corporate Affairs, who has successfully led the group for the past eight years, will be leaving Bayer effective June 14, 2021, to pursue other opportunities. Lockwood-Taylor recognized Kerins for his contributions to Bayer.

“We thank Ray for his leadership and success in protecting, enhancing, and advancing Bayer’s reputation through a period of significant growth, change and challenge and wish him well in the future.”

Lockwood-Taylor said the transformation of U.S. Corporate Affairs is aimed at supporting the key priorities and accelerated growth plans of Bayer’s businesses in the United States.

“A top business priority for Bayer is to accelerate our transformation as a global life sciences company in pursuit of our vision: Health for All; Hunger for None,” Lockwood-Taylor said. “In the U.S. – Bayer’s largest, most important market – supporting the key priorities and accelerated growth plans of our businesses, enhancing our reputation, and building relationships in the new Administration on important topics facing the company are essential to our success. By making this change now, we are sharpening the focus of each discipline, more closely aligning these business essential activities in the U.S. to our global structure.”

About Bayer

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. Its products and services are designed to help people and planet thrive by supporting efforts to master the major challenges presented by a growing and aging global population. Bayer is committed to drive sustainable development and generate a positive impact with its businesses. At the same time, the Group aims to increase its earning power and create value through innovation and growth. The Bayer brand stands for trust, reliability and quality throughout the world. In fiscal 2020, the Group employed around 100,000 people and had sales of 41.4 billion euros. R&D expenses before special items amounted to 4.9 billion euros. For more information, go to www.bayer.com.

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Forward-Looking Statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Bayer Group or subgroup management. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Bayer's public reports which are available on the Bayer website at www.bayer.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.