Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, Announces Change in IT Leadership

Darmstadt, Germany, August 25, 2021 – Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, today announced that Dirk Toepfer, Group Chief Information Officer (CIO) and Head of Information Technology, has decided to leave the company effective August 31, to continue his career in consulting outside of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. As of September 1, Alessandro de Luca, currently CIO of the Healthcare business sector, will take over Toepfer’s responsibilities on an interim basis in addition to his current role.

Toepfer joined Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, as CIO in 2018 and successfully led the company’s IT organization through a major transformation. “At a time when shaping the digital future of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, was more important than ever, Dirk Toepfer rebuilt internal expertise by insourcing important functions and establishing the company’s IT Center in Bangalore. I would like to thank Dirk for his many contributions to our company’s success and wish him all the best in his future endeavors,” said Marcus Kuhnert, Member of the Executive Board and Chief Financial Officer of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

Alessandro de Luca, who will replace Toepfer on an interim basis, joined Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, in 2011 as Global Head of Supply Chain for the Healthcare business sector in Switzerland and became Healthcare CIO in 2016. In this capacity, he plays a crucial role in driving the digitalization of the company’s Healthcare business. Prior to joining Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, de Luca held various leadership positions across Innovation & Marketing, Manufacturing, Engineering, and Supply Chain Management at Procter & Gamble. He has a degree in Nuclear Engineering as well as Civil Engineering from La Sapienza Università di Roma, Italy. Alessandro de Luca holds Italian citizenship and is based in Eysins, Switzerland. He will report to Marcus Kuhnert.