By Cecilia Butini
Shares in Swiss life-sciences company Lonza fell sharply in early trading on Monday after it announced that Chief Executive Pierre-Alain Ruffieux will leave the company at the end of the month.
At 0731 GMT, shares traded 8.3% lower at CHF455.90.
The company said that Ruffieux is leaving by mutual agreement, and that Chairman Albert M. Baehny will step in as interim CEO until a permanent successor is appointed.
The CEO’s departure is likely to raise apprehension, especially considering that Ruffieux is leaving at the end of September and the company has a Capital Markets Day scheduled for Oct. 17, analysts at Jefferies said in a note.
The company already had a similar episode in its history, when in November 2019 CEO Marc Funk left Lonza after only nine months in the role, the analysts said, adding that the decision to seek a new CEO may reflect the board’s loss of confidence in management.
Write to Cecilia Butini at [email protected]
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