Developing talent for the long term

Dr. Lothar Halmer is Chief Quality Officer and leads the Global Quality Organization in providing quality products for our patients every day.

I joined Boehringer Ingelheim almost 25 years ago, and it has been about 3 years since I started my current role as Chief Quality Officer. Together with my Global Quality leadership team, we are working as strategic partners to deliver high quality products for our patients every day.

Getting started 

After my biology studies, with focus on molecular genetics and biochemistry, I started my career with Boehringer Ingelheim in the biotechnology team in Biberach, Germany. At the time, there were about 500 applicants for every role of that kind – but Boehringer Ingelheim was my employer of choice, and I knew it was worth fighting for. Their commitment to innovation together with a highly engaged and knowledgeable team was very impressive.

A change of perspective 

My first position at Boehringer Ingelheim was as a leader in a laboratory – in method development and Quality Control. Coming from university, it was important to me that there was still some science in it – while later, I became more and more interested in leadership and general management. Since I started at Boehringer Ingelheim, every three to four years, I’ve had the opportunity to grow as a leader and take complex positions in different areas: from Biotech to Small Molecules and Manufacturing to Quality. With so many possibilities, opportunities, and challenges, I always had the chance to do things with
purpose: serving humankind by improving human and animal health.

The future of quality 

In my own (Quality) organization, we continuously incorporate the experiences of my whole leadership team to position Quality as a competitive advantage and our organization as an attractive employer of choice. 

The future of what makes Boehringer Ingelheim different?

We’re a family-owned company, independent from public shareholders – we can think and act long-term and sustainably. Our goal is to transform patients’ lives for generations, and we believe in the power of our people, developing talent for the long term, with respect and empathy. We look for strong and motivated applicants, who can work in empowered teams: open-minded, solution-oriented, and proactive. It’s all about people, if you have the right team, you can move mountains.