Bayer US changes up leadership team

Listen to this article

The Bayer U.S. executive suite in Whippany will undergo major changes this summer, the life sciences company announced June 8. 

Dave Tomasi has been promoted to president, Consumer Health North America (CH NA), effective July 1. He succeeds Patrick Lockwood-Taylor, president, Bayer U.S., and president, CH NA, who has accepted the CEO position at Dublin-based Perrigo. 

Lockwood-Taylor’s last day with Bayer is June 29, according to the company, which will name a Bayer U.S. president “in the future.” 

In a statement, Heiko Schipper, president of the parent company’s Consumer Health Division and member of Bayer’s board of management, described Tomasi as “a seasoned leader with deep knowledge or our industry and customers.” Schipper also thanked Lockwood-Taylor for his leadership. 

Currently CH NA’s chief commercial officer, Tomasi joined Bayer in 2019 and has held multiple leadership positions in the division, most recently overseeing strategy and operations across all functions, including portfolio management, retail strategy integration and commercial operations. 

Bayer said Tomasi “played a key role in the turnaround of the CH NA business over the past four years, driving operational excellence, financial performance, innovation, and strengthening the North America retail business … helping guide CH NA to the 2.5 billion euro [approximately $2.7 billion] business it is today.” 

Before joining Bayer, Tomasi spent more than 20 years at Procter & Gamble. A graduate of West Point and a U.S. Army veteran, Tomasi serves as executive sponsor of BRAVE, the company’s employee resource group for veterans. He’s also on Bayer’s Employee Political Action Committee, as well as the philanthropic Bayer Fund and the executive board for the Consumer Health Products Association. 

More moves 

Guru Ramamurthy has been appointed Bayer U.S. chief financial officer, effective July 1. In June 2022, Brian Branca took on the role, but according to his LinkedIn profile, he left the position earlier this year. 

Ramamurthy has been with the company for 22 years, holding multiple financial leadership roles, most recently serving as CFO of Bayer subsidiary Asklepios Biopharmaceuticals Inc. (AskBio) since 2021. Guru will serve in the dual roles until the end of the year.  

Additionally, Asha Hope has joined the company as vice president and head, North America Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, a new role for the U.S. team. Hope is responsible for driving sustainable change across Bayer by infusing DE&I in the company’s business processes.  

Hope previously held DE&I leadership positions at companies such as DoorDash and Amazon, and other leadership roles at Macy’s and Coca-Cola.