Bayer restructures Sustainability Council and appoints five new members

Restructuring enables sustainability teams within the company to have more direct access to external experts to drive implementation of ambitious sustainability goals

Since 2020, the Sustainability Council, composed of external experts, has advised Bayer's management and internal working groups on sustainability topics. Effective June 1, 2025, the following five new members will join this committee: Facundo Etchebehere, Lisa Lange, Philipp Roesler, Her Excellency (H.E.) Toyin Saraki, and Cori Wittman Stitt. At the same time, Agnes Binagwaho, Suzanne Hunt, Sabine Miltner, and Jeff Seabright are concluding their term on the council. Ashok Gulati, Christian Klein, Carolyn Miles, and Dante Pesce-Gonzalez will continue their work on the Sustainability Council and are thereby ensuring continuity.

In the areas of healthcare, food security, and environmental protection, Bayer has set itself ambitious sustainability targets, which the company aims to achieve by 2030. These goals, which are an integral part of the company's business strategy, were reaffirmed by the Bayer Board of Management at the end of 2024.

“We are very pleased to welcome five new distinguished experts to our Sustainability Council,” said Matthias Berninger, Head of Public Affairs, Sustainability & Safety at Bayer. “In recent years, the company has made good progress towards reaching our sustainability targets, but of course, we are not there yet. For the remaining five years until 2030, the Sustainability Council will therefore engage even more in specific projects in collaboration with Bayer's working groups, creating added value for the company as well as for patients, farmers, and consumers,” Berninger added.

Five New Members with Diverse Expertise Enrich the Council

Facundo Etchebehere, Lisa Lange, Philipp Roesler, H.E. Toyin Saraki, and Cori Wittman Stitt will contribute their expertise in regenerative agriculture, food security, access to healthcare, climate, and sustainable investing.

Facundo Etchebehere is co-founder of Ambition Loop, a global NGO advocating for systemic change to address the world’s most pressing sustainability challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, plastic pollution, food systems, and water security. With over 30 years of experience in leadership roles across public affairs and sustainability, he has been a key force behind transformative initiatives promoting inclusive and sustainable growth. This includes his leadership in advancing Danone’s B Corp certification and its broader sustainability strategy. An economist by training, he has worked extensively as a researcher and consultant and held senior positions within Argentina’s public sector.

Lisa Lange is Associate Director EOS at Federated Hermes Limited – a leading stewardship services provider. Lisa leads EOS’ work on the circular economy and zero pollution and contributes to the team’s work on other key areas material to long-term value creation, such as corporate governance, climate change, nature, human rights and human capital. In this role, she leads company engagements in multiple sectors, primarily in Europe. Lisa holds a MSc from the University of Oxford and an MA from the University of Edinburgh. Lisa is also a CFA charterholder. Before joining Federated Hermes in 2018, she worked as a sustainability consultant in London and was a research fellow at the Institute for Sustainability Management at the Vienna University of Economics and Business.

Philipp Roesler is a former German Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister and a trained physician. After leaving politics, he transitioned to the business sector. From 2014 to 2017, he was Managing Director of the World Economic Forum and has since been active in various supervisory board positions. In 2020, Roesler founded Consessor AG, which advises European and Southeast Asian companies, focusing on the healthcare, agriculture and energy sectors with an emphasis on sustainability. Since 2021, Roesler has been the Honorary Consul for Vietnam in Switzerland.

Toyin Saraki is the founder of the Wellbeing Foundation Africa and has been advocating for the rights and health of mothers, newborns, and children for over 20 years. She is committed to ending gender-based discrimination and violence, as well as improving education, socioeconomic empowerment, and community livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa. She serves on several global advisory boards and sustainability councils, working to align frontline health systems with equitable development goals.

Cori Wittman Stitt has extensive expertise in sustainable agriculture. She is the CEO of Wittman Farms, a fifth-generation family-run business engaged in crop production, livestock, and timber harvesting, specializing in regenerative practices that benefit the land and farmers. Previously, she held positions at the U.S. Grains Council, American Farm Bureau Federation, and the National Association of Wheat Growers. Additionally, she is the founder of Breakthrough Thailand, a trafficking prevention and youth development non-profit focused on human rights.

The following members of the Sustainability Council will remain unchanged:

Ashok Gulati, Professor of Agricultural Economics at the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER)

Christian Klein, Chair of the Council, Professor of Sustainable Finance at the University of Kassel

Carolyn Miles, Gender Equality Advocate, Professor, and former CEO of Save the Children USA

Dante Pesce-Gonzalez, Global Expert on Business and Human Rights, Founder/Chairperson of Vincular-Center Foundation (Chile)