As of October 2023, Florian Saur will become Country President of AstraZeneca Switzerland. A native of Germany, he has worked for the British/Swedish pharmaceutical company since 2018 – most recently as global Commercial Vice President of its Respiratory and Immunology therapy area. He takes over the position from Katrien De Vos.
Florian Saur graduated from the European Business School with a degree in business administration and has been working in the pharmaceutical industry since graduating from university. In 2018, he joined AstraZeneca as Head of Respiratory and Immunology and as a senior management member in Germany. In 2020, Saur assumed global commercial leadership for a blockbuster drug at AstraZeneca’s global research site in Gaithersburg in the United States. As of October 1, Florian Saur will take over as Country President of AstraZeneca Switzerland, succeeding Katrien De Vos.
Ambitious goals for 2030: halve mortality, cut hospitalizations by a third, cure cancer!
AstraZeneca Switzerland has set its sights on making the Swiss healthcare system more sustainable and resilient. «By 2030, we want to halve the mortality of COPD patients in Switzerland, reduce hospitalizations among kidney patients by a third and make cancer curable in our areas of research. This will only work through a close working relationship between all players, better preventative measures and new medical innovations,» says Saur confidently. To achieve these goals, AstraZeneca is planning on presenting more than 35 new therapies for Swiss regulatory approval by 2025.
A strong sustainability agenda: saving more CO2 than is consumed
«AstraZeneca is committed to a healthy planet with healthy people. I look forward to working with my team to implement our sustainability strategy of becoming CO2-negative by 2030,» says Florian Saur. «Here in Switzerland, we’re doing our bit by doing all we can to reduce our emissions. For instance, we’re converting our vehicle fleet completely to electric propulsion and keeping air travel to a minimum.» It is high time for this, because Switzerland, along with the USA, Canada and Australia, is one of the highest emitting healthcare systems in the world – with more than one ton of CO2 per person.1
Strengthening AstraZeneca Switzerland as a «Great Place to Work»
«I’m proud that AstraZeneca Switzerland has once again been recognized as one of the best employers in Switzerland. Inclusion and diversity are cornerstones of our corporate culture and a recipe for success for the best collaboration. These values give us the drive to make new medical innovations available to Swiss patients as quickly as possible.» Staff members from over 20 nations are represented at its Swiss location and more than half of management positions are held by women.
Florian Saur, new Country President of AstraZeneca Switzerland
Media contact
Tel. +41 (0) 41 725 75 75; media.switzerland@astrazeneca.com
Barbara Hess, Corporate Communications Lead, AstraZeneca Switzerland
AstraZeneca in Switzerland
AstraZeneca is a British pharmaceutical company that has been operating in Switzerland for almost 50 years. The company is one of the highest revenue pharmaceutical companies in Switzerland and operates in the following therapeutic areas: oncology, respiratory diseases and immunology, cardiovascular, renal and metabolic disorders plus vaccines and immunotherapies, which also includes medicines for the control of COVID-19. The primary aim of the over 250 employees is to make new medicines available to affected patients as quickly as possible. In Switzerland, more than 240,000 people are treated with a drug from AstraZeneca. The company expects over 35 new therapies to be authorised by 2025. AstraZeneca has set itself the target of making the Swiss healthcare system more sustainable and more resilient. To make its contribution to a healthy planet and healthy people, the company is working tirelessly to reduce its CO2 emissions and waste. It has therefore set itself the target of becoming CO2-negative by 2030.
Further information about AstraZeneca Switzerland: www.astrazeneca.ch
References
1. Health Care’s Climate Footprint 2019, p. 23, available at: https://healthcareclimateaction.org/sites/default/files/2021-05/HealthCaresClimateFootprint_092319.pdf (retrieved on: 08/30/2023).