Bayer appoints Guru Ramamurthy as new CFO for its Crop Science division

GERMANY – Bayer has announced that Guru Ramamurthy will become the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for its Crop Science division.

He will succeed Oliver Rittgen, who has decided to pursue a career opportunity outside of Bayer after 25 years with the company.

Guru Ramamurthy is currently serving as the CFO of Bayer US. With over 20 years of experience at Bayer, he brings extensive financial expertise and a proven track record in driving transformation and business growth.

Since joining Bayer in 2001, Ramamurthy has held various finance leadership roles across multiple business segments and geographies.

Prior to his role as CFO of Bayer US, he served as CFO for AskBio, Bayer’s wholly owned and independently operated gene therapy company.

He was also the Global CFO of Bayer’s Medical Care division and held country and regional CFO positions across diverse sectors, working in locations such as Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States.

“Guru has a strong track record of enabling business turnarounds and driving transformation through a holistic business perspective. I am looking forward to working with him to shape the future success of our business,” said Rodrigo Santos, Member of the Board of Bayer AG and President of the Crop Science Division.

Guru Ramamurthy will be based in St. Louis, MO. The announcement of his successor for the current role will be made at a later date.

Oliver Rittgen joined Bayer in 2000 and has served in various leadership roles across Finance.

Before taking on the CFO position for the Crop Science division in 2024, he held the CFO role for Bayer’s Consumer Health division, along with several regional CFO and Corporate Finance positions in Germany, Finland, and Thailand.

“Oliver has successfully driven business performance and transformation across the divisions while prioritizing the development of his organization and people. His innovative and entrepreneurial thinking has significantly contributed to enhancing the financial operations of our business. I want to thank him for his valuable contributions and wish him all the best for the future,” added Rodrigo Santos.

Bayer is a global enterprise with core competencies in the life science fields of health care and nutrition. In line with its mission, “Health for all, Hunger for none,” the company’s products and services are designed to help people and the planet thrive by addressing the major challenges posed by a growing and aging global population.

In fiscal 2024, the Group employed around 93,000 people and achieved sales of 46.6 billion euros, with R&D expenses amounting to 6.2 billion euros.

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