Dr. Werner Lanthaler is a distinguished biotechnology executive and strategic investor who has dedicated his career to advancing life sciences innovation. As Founder and CEO of WLanholding GmbH, he focuses on investments and advisory services in Life Science and high-tech sustainability companies.
His portfolio includes transformative companies like Proxygen GmbH, Cerabyte GmbH, Solgate GmbH, Planet Pure GmbH, and Cyment. With over two decades of leadership experience, Werner previously transformed Evotec SE from a 200-employee company to a global leader with over 5,000 employees and revenues growing from €40 million to €800 million.
His expertise spans drug discovery innovation, AI integration in biotechnology, and building strategic partnerships that drive scientific breakthroughs. Werner combines deep industry knowledge with a commitment to sustainable innovation, positioning him as a catalyst for the next generation of life sciences advancement.
In his role as Chief Executive Officer of Evotec SE (NASDAQ:EVO), a pharmaceutical research and development enterprise, Werner orchestrated the company's remarkable transformation across multiple expansion phases, scaling operations from a modest team of 200 to an international workforce exceeding 5,000 professionals while driving annual turnover from €40 million to €800 million. Throughout his leadership tenure until his departure in 2024, he spearheaded groundbreaking scientific initiatives that positioned the company at the forefront of industry innovation, including pioneering work in induced pluripotent stem cell-based drug discovery, comprehensive omics-integrated research platforms, and revolutionary end-to-end continuous manufacturing processes for biological therapeutics.
Before joining Evotec, Werner served as Chief Financial Officer at Intercell AG, where he played a pivotal role in creating Austria's inaugural venture-capital-funded biotechnology enterprise. During his tenure, he successfully guided the company through its groundbreaking public offering, marking a historic milestone as the first Austrian biotech firm to achieve IPO status, while simultaneously managing the worldwide commercialization of their Japanese Encephalitis vaccine.
