Leading with a vision.

CEO Merz Therapeutics

Stefan König

Stefan König is a global healthcare leader passionate about understanding and delivering to the needs of patients along their disease journey. Over his career Stefan held various senior roles in global, regional and local functions across diverse geographies. Stefan has extensive experience in clinical-stage drug development, strategic commercial and business development and scaling of businesses.

Stefan holds a diploma degree from Berufsakademie Ravensburg, a degree from Georgia State University, Atlanta and has completed post-graduate studies at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico City.

He joined Merz in 2023 and is driving an accelerated business growth of Merz Therapeutics with his profound expertise as well as management skills.

President Region Europe

Marcus Gollub

As an expert in marketing, sales and commercial excellence, Marcus Gollub manages a total of eight affiliates in 12 markets, focusing on the neurotoxins and foundational products business.

As a biologist specializing in biochemistry and marine biology, he began his career in healthcare in 2000 as a sales representative. Twelve years later he joined Merz to build up the commercial excellence department for the EMEA region.

Head of Global Distribution Partner Management

Andrea von der Lippe

Andrea von der Lippe is responsible for the commercial strategy and execution, including the regional marketing and strategic business development of our global partner business in APAC, EMEA and LATAM, managing a network of 80 countries and 60 partners.

Andrea is a healthcare executive with 25 years of experience. Having joined Merz in 1996, she has developed her career within our company, with strong expertise in sales and marketing in consumer health care and more recently moving to pharmaceuticals with a focus on international business.

After completing her master of European Business Administration at Middlesex University London, she initially worked as a key account and brand manager in the cosmetics and FMCG industry.

President Region North America

Kevin O‘Brien

Kevin O’Brien is responsible for commercial strategy and execution, including field sales, managed markets, medical affairs, marketing and operations, across the U.S. and Canada. Since joining Merz in 2017, Kevin has overseen the United States FDA approvals of Merz’s neuromodulator for the treatment of sialorrhea in adults, as well as pediatric patients, and as a first-line treatment for blepharospasm.

Kevin is a global healthcare executive with more than 30 years of experience leading teams and product launches in neurosciences, medical aesthetics, plastic surgery and dermatology. Kevin received his juris doctor degree from Western State University and his bachelor’s degree from Saint Mary’s College of California.

Vice President Region Russia

Olga Stepanova

Olga Stepanova controls all sales and marketing activities including the setting of sales plans, objectives and the development of future strategies at Merz Pharma Russia.

Before joining Merz, she was responsible for the coordination of international commercial activities in various pharmaceutical industry companies, mainly in the consumer health sector.

Chief Scientific and Medical Officer

Dr. Stefan Albrecht

As a board-certified neurologist and highly experienced executive leader in the pharmaceutical industry, Dr. Stefan Albrecht brings important expertise with which he has enriched Merz since 2010, passionately advocating for better outcomes for more patients.

Today, he heads the global R&D and medical units and plays a key role in developing Merz Therapeutics as an innovative company. He can look back on more than 25 years of experience in healthcare sector and the pharmaceutical industry.

Head of Central Commercial Organization

Claudia Cramer

Claudia Cramer is responsible for the global commercial strategy leading a team of about 30 members from the fields of global marketing, global communications, event management, digital innovation, commercial excellence, market intelligence & research and customer service.

As a licensed pharmacist, she started her career in pharmaceutical marketing in 2002 and has enriched Merz since 2008, when she joined as a brand manager for XEOMIN^®.

General Counsel

Cornelia Keller

As a proven specialist of many years’ experience in pharmaceutical law Cornelia Keller advises Merz Therapeutics and its subsidiaries in all legal matters. She leads an international team of 16 people and, in addition to her responsibility for the Legal Team, is also heading the IP and Compliance Team. 

She has not only particular expertise in all areas of medical law, advertising law and compliance in the healthcare sector, but also has in-depth knowledge of insolvency law and other areas of civil law.

Head of Corporate Development

Iris Manneck

Iris Manneck is responsible for business development and M&A, search and evaluation, venture transactions, alliance management and corporate strategy. She is a proven pharmaceutical executive with more than 20 years of experience and a track record of 20+ transactions.

Before joining Merz in December 2008, she held various positions of increasing responsibility at Merck KGaA and Novartis Consumer Health SA including roles in the areas of strategic portfolio and project management, clinical development and BD.

Head of Global Human Resources

Florian Marquardt

With his academic background of business administration and labor law, Florian Marquardt manages global HR matters for our therapeutics business. Together with his international team he is responsible for expanding our Merz Therapeutics family as well as developing and enforcing our HR goals, policies and strategies.

He joined the Merz group in 2018, initially as an in-house labor lawyer. Prior to his employment with Merz he worked as a labor lawyer for an international law firm focusing on complex individual and collective labor law matters, restructuring measures and negotiations with works councils.

Chief Financial Officer

Michael Schwaninger

As chief financial officer Michael Schwaninger ensures that resources are used efficiently and effectively to improve the profitability of Merz Therapeutics. After his apprenticeship as an industrial clerk at Merz, Michael Schwaninger completed a degree in business economics.

He can proudly look back on more than 25 years with various business partners, in finance roles and projects at Merz at a national and international level. Among other financial tasks, he served as the integration lead on site when Merz acquired Bioform Inc. and as interim CFO for Switzerland and Russia. Most recently he worked as head of Controlling for the EMEA region.