If a manager has successfully led a company for more than two decades and then leaves for reasons of age, the successor has a difficult time. It makes sense to compare it with its predecessor. If he continues as before, it will be said that there is a lack of fresh ideas. If he changes the strategy, headwinds can be expected. Michael Grosse replaced Joachim Kreuzburg at the top of Sartorius last year. Kreuzburg worked as CEO of the pharmaceutical and laboratory equipment manufacturer for twenty-two and a half years – half an eternity in the fast-moving economic world. During his tenure, the number of employees quadrupled, sales increased seven-fold, and profits increased 26-fold. In 2010, one Sartorius share could be had for less than five euros. At its peak in 2021 it cost more than 600 euros; it is currently trading at around 260 euros. Kreuzburg’s track record “is unparalleled, not only in Germany,” said Supervisory Board Chairman Lothar Kappich’s exuberant praise for the departing person last year. Dizzying heights Difficult to make a name for yourself with your own mark after following such broad footsteps. But in the end the successful long-term manager Kreuzburg also had to fight. The corona pandemic catapulted Sartorius into regions that he himself was uncomfortable with. Successor Grosse analyzes today: “The share price rose to dizzying heights back then. Everyone knew that it couldn’t continue like this.” It then took a long time to get back to a new, sustainable basis. “And the disillusionment was about as strong as the response before.” This is not a criticism of the predecessor. That wouldn’t be Grosse’s style at all. On the contrary, he prefers to give out praise. In the past few quarters – including under Kreuzburg’s aegis – Sartorius has very consistently adhered to its forecasts. “We said what we do and did what we said. We simply delivered. I think this boringness is very much appreciated.”How to react to tariff threats?On Tuesday in a week, Grosse can prove again that the course is right again, as he says – then Sartorius will present its annual figures. Then it becomes clear whether the “boring” will convince investors – a keyword that makes Grosse himself smile. It is rarely used in a positive context. The Sartorius boss uses it, but carefully. Not for yourself or not for your company. Rather to describe his management style. This is anything but ordinary, because today company managers have to come to terms with an uncertain world. It is important to differentiate well, says Grosse: “The art lies in the distinction between strategy and direction and detailed planning.” The Sartorius boss likes to talk about a “strong flexibility muscle”: namely, based on a vision of being able to make short-term adjustments without being thrown off track. Best example of use: Trump’s tariff threats. “In general, it is true today more than ever: It is no longer the big fish that eats the small one, but the fast one that eats the slow one,” sums up Grosse. Stages in a career: BMW, Ford, Tetrapak The Essen-born man has been at the helm of Sartorius for a good six months now, whose career has been characterized by very different stages and with very different cultures. BMW in the 1990s: “Highly innovative back then and managed in a rather hierarchical manner.” At Ford, on the other hand, origin, training and title did not play a major role, nor did length of service, “just your results, i.e. American-style.” In the Scandinavian-style Swiss packaging company Tetrapak, known for its beverage cartons, for which Grosse worked for 16 years, decisions were made primarily on the basis of arguments. “You had to repeatedly open up to the employees and the unions and explain where you actually wanted to go. Then there was a discussion, perhaps for a very long time from our point of view, but with the great advantage that if a decision was made, you really had the people on board 100 percent.” “I’m just a first-name person.” Grosse can identify with this approach the most. “I think that also corresponds to my leadership style.” And so Sartorius adopted the “you” style. “I’m a first-name person, simply because I was abroad for many years.” Grosse may not see a lack of respect in this, but rather an invitation to discussion and closeness. “If I want to know something and the plant operator in production has this knowledge, then I just go to her and ask her or the student trainee, the trainee or the service technician.” The mechanical engineer with a doctorate no longer has to ask too many questions. Even if you might think that someone with a long history in the automotive and packaging industry doesn’t understand much about the highly specialized topic of pharmaceuticals, Grosse is not someone who would just jump into the deep end. Enormous potential with KIZ. On the one hand, before Sartorius he was already close to the current topic as head of the process service provider Syntegon, spun off from Bosch. In addition: “I actually had fun studying biochemistry for another semester and a half in preparation. Simply to be able to understand the terminology well. That’s why there are hardly any discussions in the company where I have to say, I don’t understand.” Especially since many discussions at Sartorius revolve around the top economic topic: artificial intelligence. Grosse expects AI to take giant steps forward in the medical industry. “It promises enormous potential to get from the idea and development to the finished drug light years faster than today.” It currently takes a decade for a drug to actually come onto the market. Optimists hope that this time can be drastically shortened. A completely new order of magnitude. But what is realistic? Halving the development time would be a breakthrough of a completely new magnitude, says Grosse, but admits: “That is still visionary at the moment.” We would be a big step further if we could use AI and analytics to model clinical pictures and the influence of medications. “This allows us to generate much more representative data on the computer than, for example, with animal experiments. If we then have large models at some point, then the development time for drugs could possibly be reduced from ten years to two or three years.” There is still a long way to go until then. But Grosse likes to point to the past: 20 years ago, some of today’s therapies were still unthinkable. “What is now in the pipeline, both for rare diseases as well as for cancer, Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s, stimulates the imagination.” The girlfriend was a violinist Beyond the job, Grosse likes to be inspired by culture. “I’m a big, big fan of classical music.” His parents were opera fans, so he attended many concerts from an early age. Added to this: “I also had a girlfriend for a long time who was a violinist.” The manager counts the Italian operas among his favorite operas. But he can also warm to “heavy” Wagner operas, chamber music and new classical music, as well as Schubert, Mozart, Handel and Bach. “I can always listen to Baroque. It brings me down.”More on the topicMore modern stuff is also on the big music agenda. He often listens to ethno house with his son, a DJ and hobby producer. “We sometimes go to festivals together.” Another pointer to this: you shouldn’t accuse Grosse of being boring – neither in his professional nor in his private life.
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