BioNTech appoints Guido Oelkers as new CEO, succeeding cofounder Ugur Sahin

BioNTech announced that Guido Oelkers will become its chief executive officer, taking over from cofounder Ugur Sahin.

Oelkers comes from Swedish biopharma Sobi, where he led the company, and brings more than three decades of experience in the sector.

He will assume the role on Feb 1 2027 and said he intends to keep BioNTech on a path toward multiple approved medicines by 2030 as the firm pivots from Covid19 vaccines to oncology.

The change follows the March announcement that Sahin and chief medical officer Ozlem Tureci will leave to start a new mRNA focused biotech.