Sabia Schwarzer will lead the newly created function Group Communications, Brand and Corporate Affairs, which will focus on continuously raising the global profile and impact of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany by further building the company’s reputation as the 21^st century leader in science and technology. Under her leadership, Corporate Affairs and Group Communications will be combined into one global team to ensure proximity to internal and external stakeholders.

“I am extremely pleased that Sabia Schwarzer is joining Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany at this crucial point in our journey. Our company’s future will be marked by growth and by new stakeholder expectations where trust and credibility will be key for progress. Having led Corporate Responsibility and Reputation in global functions, Sabia Schwarzer brings with her a track record of shaping and developing corporate reputation in dialog with key stakeholders. With her bold and values driven leadership style, she has built a strong community of ambassadors for a brand. I welcome her to the team,” said Belén Garijo.

“When deep values and tradition meet innovation, a global mindset and modern leadership, that is where Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany can be found,” said Sabia Schwarzer. “I am honored to join a journey that started more than 350 years ago. And I am looking forward to meeting the company’s team, to learning a new industry and to contributing my best.”

Sabia Schwarzer joins Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany after having spent 25 years at Allianz Group, where she most recently served as Global Head of Communications and Corporate Responsibility. A trained journalist, she has lived and worked across three continents.

Sabia Schwarzer will succeed Petra Wicklandt, current Head of Corporate Affairs, and Thomas Möller, current Head of Group Communications. As previously announced, Petra Wicklandt will take over the leadership of the new Group Function “Corporate Sustainability, Quality and Trade Compliance”, effective October 2021. Thomas Möller has decided to accept an external offer and will leave Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany at the beginning of next year.

“I would like to warmly thank Petra Wicklandt and Thomas Möller for their significant contributions to shaping our company’s reputation among our internal and external audiences during the past years and paving the way for a smooth transition combining Communications and Corporate Affairs into one strong function,” Belén Garijo added.

About Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and electronics. Around 58,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From advancing gene editing technologies and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2020, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, generated sales of € 17.5 billion in 66 countries.

The company holds the global rights to the name and trademark “Merck” internationally. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma in life science, and EMD Electronics. Since

its founding in 1668, scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to the company’s technological and scientific advances. To this day, the founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company.