Lonza Appoints Jason Berndt as Head of Group Operations

Lonza has appointed Jason Berndt as Head of Group Operations, Executive Vice President and member of the EC. Jason succeeds Maria Soler Nunez, who will take up the newly-created role of Chief Quality Officer and Executive Vice President, remaining a member of the EC. Both appointments will be effective October 1, 2025.



Jason brings more than two decades of experience in global operations, having previously served in a variety of leadership roles spanning operational excellence, manufacturing, supply chain management, technical services, and network transformations across leading pharmaceutical and consumer goods companies. An American citizen, Jason also brings international expertise, with prior roles based in the US, Germany, Israel and Japan. 

Jason most recently served as Head of Global Technical Services and Senior Vice President at Bristol-Myers Squibb. Prior to this, he spent more than eight years in different leadership roles at Teva Pharmaceuticals, and six years in manufacturing operations at Procter & Gamble, as well as two years as a consultant at McKinsey and Company. Jason began his career in the US Army, where he spent five years as a military officer. 

Maria Soler Nunez Named Chief Quality Officer

Maria Soler Nunez joined Lonza in 2022 as Head of Group Operations and member of the EC. In this position, she has successfully led Lonza’s engineering, procurement, supply chain management, operational excellence and program management Group Functions. In her new role as Chief Quality Officer, Maria will be responsible for upholding and reinforcing the highest quality standards across Lonza’s global development and manufacturing network, as well as overseeing regulatory affairs and regulatory compliance. 

Maria’s appointment builds on her proven leadership track record at Lonza, her deep understanding of the company’s operations, and her established expertise in and commitment to quality and regulatory compliance. Maria has 28 years of experience in manufacturing and quality roles in the pharmaceutical industry, working in multiple countries including Spain, Switzerland and the U.S. Before joining Lonza, Maria served as Chief Quality Officer at Novartis, with responsibility for all aspects of quality across the global operations network. Prior to Novartis, Maria worked with Eli Lilly and Company for 12 years. 



Wolfgang Wienand, Chief Executive Officer, Lonza, said, “I am pleased to welcome Jason to our One Lonza Team and to warmly congratulate Maria on her new role. With our ambition to further elevate Lonza’s execution excellence in manufacturing, engineering and large capital projects, Jason will be a strong addition to the team with his hands-on experience and proven leadership from the shop floor over site operations to large network transformations across the US, Europe and Asia. Jason will work closely with Maria and our three Business Platforms to further strengthen the operational, technical and quality foundations for the growth journey ahead of us.