Sanner Announces Management Changes

As part of Sanner’s strategic transformation into a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) for medical devices and complex pharmaceutical drug delivery systems, the company announced a management change.

CEO Dr. Johannis Willem van Vliet will leave the company shortly. Until the new CEO takes office in autumn 2025, Heino Lennartz will take over as interim CEO.

As part of its strategic focus on the CDMO sector, the Sanner Group will now draw even more specifically on expertise from the pharmaceutical industry, both operationally and at the management level.

Lennartz has extensive knowledge in the pharmaceutical and CDMO sectors and as Chairman, he is already very familiar with the processes and activities of the Sanner Group. He will be responsible for managing the company during the transition period and will support the future CEO during the handover.

Stefan Verheyden will become the new CEO in the fall of 2025. He holds a degree in chemistry and has been working in the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industry for over 30 years. 

Moreover, he has extensive experience in the field of primary packaging. Most recently, he was Global Vice President Sales Pharma and Biopharma Injectables at a leading company in the primary packaging and contract manufacturing space.

“We are delighted to welcome Mr. Verheyden to the Sanner Group as an experienced CEO. We thank Johannis Willem van Vliet for his commitment and significant contributions during an important phase of our company,” said Heino Lennartz. “He has taken decisive steps to position the Sanner Group as a global medtech and pharmaceutical supplier. These include the acquisitions of Springboard and Gilero and the successful ramp-up of our new production sites in Bensheim and Greensboro.”