Board members

Prof. Ugur Sahin, M.D., Co-Founder and CEO of BioNTech, is a physician, immunologist and leader in the development of novel approaches to fight cancer and infectious diseases. Sahin is one of the world’s foremost experts on messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) medicines. He has pioneered several fundamental breakthroughs enabling the development of mRNA vaccines and other types of immunotherapies. The high-profile scientific publication Nature Biotechnology repeatedly listed him as one of the top 20 translational researchers worlwide.

Sahin initiated and oversaw “Project Lightspeed,” the historic development of the first mRNA vaccine for COVID-19, moving from lab and clinical testing to conditional approval within an unprecedented 11-month period. He also leads BioNTech’s research and development of neoantigen-specific as well as non-neoantigen specific mRNA cancer vaccines which can be individually tailored and produced on demand according to the profile of non-synonymous mutations identified by next-generation sequencing in patients’ tumors. Ugur Sahin is co-inventor of more than 500 filed patents applications and patents. Sahin’s academic credentials include serving as a Full Professor in Translational Oncology & Immunology at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany, where he supervised more than 50 PhD students. He also holds the role of Chairman of the Scientific Management Board of the Helmholtz Institute for Translational Oncology (HI-TRON). Based on his contributions to scientific discovery, Prof. Sahin has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the German Sustainability Award, the Mustafa Prize, and the German Cancer Award. He is married to Prof. Özlem Türeci.

Year of Birth: 1965

Nationality: Turkish

Appointed since: 2008

End of current appointment: 2026

Annemarie Hanekamp is a seasoned pharmaceutical executive experienced in developing patient-focused commercial strategies for innovative oncology products encompassing sales, marketing and market access. As Chief Commercial Officer, she drives and executes the global commercialization strategy to leverage BioNTech’s full potential as a vertically integrated biopharmaceutical company.

Annemarie Hanekamp has more than 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry, including 15 years of commercial experience in companies ranging from early-stage biotechnology companies to full-scale pharmaceutical companies. She successfully delivered significant value in a broad range of roles: At Novartis, she led the U.S. and global teams through a time of strategic opportunities and operational headwinds following an unprecedented strong launch uptake of their novel treatment for prostate cancer. She was also responsible for building a new global oncology organization following a company-wide transformation. At Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., she held a pivotal role in evolving the company’s U.S. oncology strategy, resulting in significant and sustainable growth including an expanded market access as well as product launches.

Annemarie Hanekamp holds degrees in biomedical sciences as well as organizational leadership.

Year of Birth: 1980

Nationality: Dutch

Appointed since: 2024

End of current appointment: 2028

Dr. Sierk Poetting, Chief Operating Officer of BioNTech, joined us in September 2014 from Novartis, where he served in various positions and from May 2012 to August 2014 as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for the Sandoz Division in North America. Dr. Poetting started his career as a consultant with McKinsey & Company. A German citizen, Dr. Poetting holds a Master of Science in Optical Sciences from the University of Arizona and a Ph.D. in Physics from the Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich.

Year of Birth: 1973

Nationality: German

Appointed since: 2014

End of current appointment: 2026

Ryan Richardson is our Chief Strategy Officer. He brings more than 20 years of experience in the healthcare and finance industries to BioNTech. Ryan joined BioNTech in 2018 as SVP Corporate Development & Strategy and was appointed to Chief Strategy Officer and a Member of the Management Board in 2020. Prior to joining BioNTech, Ryan was an Executive Director in the Global Healthcare Investment Banking team at J.P. Morgan in London, where he advised companies in the biotech and life sciences industry on cross-border M&A, equity and debt capital financings. Earlier in his career, Ryan worked as a Management Consultant to biopharmaceutical companies in the U.S. and Europe, focusing on strategic and operational projects in the areas of commercial strategy, pricing and market access, new product planning, and R&D transformation. Ryan has also worked as a Health Economist at IMS Health in London.

Ryan holds an International MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a Master of Science from the London School of Economics, and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Kansas. Ryan was the recipient of the 2018 Eisenhower Zhi Xing Fellowship to China, and the 2005/2006 Robert Bosch Foundation Fellowship to Germany.

Year of Birth: 1979

Nationality: American, British

Appointed since: 2020

End of current appointment: 2026

James Ryan, Ph.D., is our Chief Legal and Chief Business Officer. He brings nearly 20 years of global legal and IP expertise in the pharmaceutical industry to BioNTech. James Ryan joined the Company in 2018 as General Counsel and Senior Vice President Legal & IP and was appointed to Chief Legal Officer and a Member of the Management Board in 2023. He has guided BioNTech through a wide range of key business, IP and transactional activities, mergers and acquisitions, strategic collaborations and equity capital markets transactions including the Company’s IPO in 2019. James Ryan and his teams played a pivotal role in the successful development of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, supporting every legal aspect of the program, its launch and commercialization. Prior to joining BioNTech, he established the legal group of GW Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: GWPH), where he also served as Head of Legal Affairs. Earlier in his career, James Ryan worked for a number of UK and US law firms, including Special Counsel at Covington & Burling LLP, where he specialized in commercial and strategic transactions with a focus on companies in the life sciences sector.

James has a Ph.D. in epigenetics from the University of St Andrews, is a member of the Law Society of England & Wales, and a member of the Law Society of Ireland.

Year of Birth: 1975

Nationality: British / Irish

Appointed since: 2023

End of current appointment: 2027

Prof. Özlem Türeci, M.D., Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of BioNTech, is a physician, immunologist, and cancer researcher with translational and clinical experience. Türeci has helped lead the discovery of cancer antigens, the development of mRNA-based individualized and off-the-shelf vaccine candidates and other types of immunotherapies which are currently in clinical development. The high-profile scientific publication Nature Biotechnology repeatedly listed her as one of the top 20 translational researchers worlwide.

Türeci leads the clinical development of BioNTech’s “Project Lightspeed,” the company’s successful effort to develop and distribute an mRNA-based vaccine against COVID-19, a historic achievement completed in less than one year. Türeci previously served as CEO and Chief Medical Officer of Ganymed Pharmaceuticals AG, which she co-founded with Ugur Sahin and Christoph Huber. She is also a professor for Personalized Immunotherapy at the University Medical Center Mainz and the Helmholtz Institute for Translational Oncology Mainz (HI-TRON), and currently serves as President of the Association for Cancer Immunotherapy (CIMT) in Germany. She is a recipient of the German Sustainability Award, among other notable recognitions. Türeci is married to Prof. Ugur Sahin.

Year of Birth: 1967

Nationality: German

Appointed since: 2018

End of current appointment: 2025

Ramón Zapata is a seasoned global finance executive with more than 25 years of experience in the pharmaceutical and consumer goods industries. He has held leadership roles at leading global companies including Novartis AG, Sandoz AG, and Mondelēz International, and has worked across Europe, North America, Latin America, and the Middle East. Throughout his career, Ramón Zapata has led finance functions enabling seamless execution from drug discovery through commercialization, including overseeing M&A transactions and successful integrations as well as driving digital finance transformations.

Prior to joining BioNTech, he served as Chief Financial Officer and Head of Scientific Operations of BioMedical Research at Novartis, where he was responsible for the overall leadership of the division's finance strategy and operations, portfolio realignment, cross-functional integration, and strategic external collaborations.

Ramón Zapata holds dual citizenship of the United States and Mexico. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) from Universidad Panamericana. He holds an MBA from IPADE Business School, with academic credits earned at IESE Business School as part of the program. He also earned a postgraduate diploma in Tax Legislation from ITAM and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Industrial-Organizational Psychology at Harvard University.

Year of Birth: 1974

Nationality: American, Mexican

Appointed since: 2025

End of current appointment: 2028