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Thierry Bernard

From bizslash.com

Never fall into the ‘been there, done that’ mentality.

— Thierry Bernard[3]

~*~

Overview

Thierry Bernard
Born1964 (age 61–62)
Lyon, France
CitizenshipFrance
EducationSciences Po; College of Europe; London School of Economics; Centro de Comercio Exterior; Harvard Business School
Alma materSciences Po; College of Europe; London School of Economics; Harvard Business School
OccupationBusiness executive
EmployerQIAGEN N.V.
Known forLeading QIAGEN during the COVID-19 pandemic and strategic transformation
TitleChief executive officer
Term2019–present
PredecessorPeer Schatz
Board member ofAdvaMedDx; Neogen Corporation; Daktari Diagnostics; First Light BioSciences; Huttopia & Cie
AwardsConseiller du commerce extérieur de la France

👤 Thierry Bernard (born October 1964) is a French business executive who has served as chief executive officer (CEO) of QIAGEN N.V., a multinational molecular diagnostics and life sciences company, since 2019.[5][6] Under his leadership QIAGEN expanded its molecular diagnostics portfolio, played a prominent role in global COVID-19 testing and pursued targeted acquisitions such as the 2025 purchase of single-cell sequencing firm Parse Biosciences, while he prepared to step down once a successor is appointed.[7][8] Formerly a senior executive at French diagnostics group bioMérieux, he is known for advocating a focused strategy, servant leadership and the treatment of diagnostics as a pillar of public health policy.[9][10]

🌍 Global profile. Born and raised in Lyon in eastern France, Bernard built an international career that moved from regional trade promotion into in vitro diagnostics and ultimately the leadership of a transatlantic life sciences group.[11][12] Educated at Sciences Po in Paris, the College of Europe in Bruges, the London School of Economics, the Centro de Comercio Exterior in Barcelona and Harvard Business School, he is regarded as a cosmopolitan yet low-key leader whose multilingual background underpins an emphasis on humility, teamwork and long-term value creation.[11][10][13]

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Early life and education

🧒 Early years. Bernard was born in October 1964 in Lyon, a major industrial and university centre in eastern France, and grew up far from the traditional centres of political and corporate power that had long fascinated him.[6][11] He later recalled that he "always had Paris in mind", both for the cultural magnetism of the capital and for the possibility of studying at the Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po).[11]

🎓 Sciences Po. In the early 1980s Bernard realised that ambition by enrolling at Sciences Po, where he followed a broad curriculum that blended political science, economics and international affairs rather than a narrow technical specialisation.[11] He has noted that the institution encouraged students to combine core classes with courses outside their main track, an approach he credits with opening his "mind to the world" and training him to question assumptions.[11]

🌐 European and transatlantic studies. After completing his degree in Paris, Bernard continued his education across Europe, earning a master's degree at the College of Europe in Bruges in 1985–1986 and studying at the London School of Economics in 1987–1988.[12] He later added qualifications from the Centro de Comercio Exterior in Barcelona and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 2009, rounding out an academic profile that spanned political science, economics and executive management.[12][14]

🗳️ Public-service ethos. Bernard's years as a student reinforced both a cosmopolitan outlook and an enduring interest in politics in its original sense as the "life of the city".[11] Fluent in French and English and conversant in Spanish, with some knowledge of German, he viewed public service as a calling and believed that engagement in civic life and international trade could create tangible benefits for communities.[12][11]

~*~

Career

💼 Overview. Bernard's professional trajectory has spanned regional economic development agencies, global diagnostics manufacturers and the leadership of a listed multinational, with a consistent focus on international trade, healthcare and organisational transformation.[15][9]

ERAI and regional trade promotion

🏛️ Trade promotion in Rhône-Alpes. In 1990, at the age of 26, Bernard was appointed chief executive of Entreprise Rhône-Alpes International (ERAI), a public-private trade promotion agency based in Lyon that supported companies from the Rhône-Alpes region in expanding abroad.[15][11] The role allowed him to apply his training in international economics to concrete export projects and gave him an early opportunity to manage teams, budgets and government stakeholders over nearly seven years.[12]

bioMérieux and rise in diagnostics

🧫 Transition to diagnostics. After his tenure at ERAI, Bernard was recruited by French in vitro diagnostics specialist bioMérieux, entering the healthcare industry despite not having a scientific background.[9][11] He later recounted that he had not studied biology since high school but immersed himself in the field and "fell in love" with in vitro diagnostics and the broader mission of improving patient outcomes.[11]

📈 Global commercial leadership at bioMérieux. Over roughly 15 years at bioMérieux, Bernard held progressively senior positions across commercial, strategic and regional functions, culminating as corporate vice-president responsible for global commercial operations, investor relations and the Greater China region.[9] In that capacity he helped expand the company’s presence in emerging markets, strengthened its relationships with investors and turned underperforming units, such as the Chinese subsidiary, into growth engines.[9][15]

QIAGEN executive

🧪 Joining QIAGEN. In February 2015 Bernard joined QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands-based provider of "sample-to-insight" solutions for molecular testing, as senior vice-president and head of the Molecular Diagnostics business area.[9][10] His mandate was to accelerate QIAGEN’s expansion in clinical diagnostics, particularly in hospital and reference-laboratory settings, by leveraging his experience in both commercial operations and investor relations.

🎯 Focused growth strategy. Within QIAGEN Bernard championed a strategy built around a limited number of "pillars of growth", arguing that a mid-sized company must concentrate its resources where it can be among the global leaders.[10] The approach prioritised sample preparation technologies, the QuantiFERON tuberculosis testing franchise, syndromic testing platforms such as QIAstat-Dx and emerging technologies including digital PCR, and helped reposition QIAGEN as a more focused diagnostics player.[10][8]

Interim CEO during strategic reset

⚙️ Interim leadership amid restructuring. In October 2019, following a strategic reversal in which QIAGEN halted development of its own next-generation sequencing instruments and recorded significant write-downs, long-time CEO Peer Schatz resigned after 27 years in the role.[16] Bernard, then head of Molecular Diagnostics, was appointed interim CEO to stabilise the business at a time when weak sales in China and the sequencing decision had triggered a sharp fall in the share price.[5][17]

📉 Exploration of strategic alternatives. In the months that followed, Bernard and the supervisory board reviewed strategic options, including potential acquisition offers, as they sought to restore investor confidence.[16] By late 2019 QIAGEN had attracted interest from several suitors, laying the groundwork for a formal takeover proposal the following year.[7]

CEO of QIAGEN during the COVID-19 pandemic

🦠 Appointment as CEO at the onset of COVID-19. In March 2020 QIAGEN’s board confirmed Bernard as permanent CEO and managing director of the company just as the COVID-19 pandemic was emerging globally.[5][10] Under his leadership QIAGEN rapidly ramped up production of sample preparation reagents and diagnostic test kits, becoming one of the prominent suppliers of COVID-19 testing solutions worldwide.[10][8]

📌 Crisis management and corporate culture. Bernard later described the pandemic as a "lesson of humility" that would permanently change patterns of work and travel, and emphasised that QIAGEN’s response illustrated how transformation is an ongoing process rather than a one-off project.[11][8] The company increased its workforce to meet demand while he stressed servant leadership, warning that the greatest risk for a market leader is to become complacent and urging employees to "always strive to become better".[10][8]

Thermo Fisher takeover bid

🤝 Thermo Fisher takeover proposal. Shortly after Bernard’s confirmation as CEO, QIAGEN agreed in early 2020 to be acquired by U.S. science conglomerate Thermo Fisher Scientific in a deal valued at about US$11.5 billion, offering shareholders €39 per share, a substantial premium at the time.[16][7] The board, including Bernard, recommended the transaction as a way to maximise value and provide strategic scale.

💥 Collapse of the transaction. As QIAGEN's COVID-19 testing revenues surged, some investors argued that the agreed price undervalued the company, and an activist campaign led by hedge fund Davidson Kempner urged shareholders to reject the offer.[7] In August 2020 insufficient shares were tendered and the deal lapsed; QIAGEN paid a US$95 million termination fee but subsequently delivered record sales as an independent company, which supporters of the failed bid cited as evidence that its long-term prospects were strong.[7][10]

Post-pandemic strategy and acquisitions

🔬 Refocusing on non-COVID growth. As demand for COVID-19 testing moderated, Bernard sought to sustain QIAGEN’s expansion by growing non-COVID product lines at high single-digit rates, particularly in sample preparation, tuberculosis testing and research consumables.[10] Between 2018 and the early 2020s the company’s revenues increased from around US$1.5 billion to roughly US$2 billion, while profitability and cash generation remained robust.[16][18]

🧬 Targeted acquisitions and partnerships. Bernard complemented organic growth with selective acquisitions and collaborations designed to strengthen QIAGEN’s core technologies. Notably, in 2025 the company agreed to acquire Seattle-based Parse Biosciences for US$225 million to expand into the fast-growing single-cell sequencing market,[7] while earlier partnerships, such as a long-term collaboration with Illumina in sequencing-based diagnostics, reflected his strategy of partnering with rather than competing against larger instrument manufacturers.[16][10]

🏆 Industry standing. Under Bernard’s tenure QIAGEN consolidated its leadership in sample preparation and its QuantiFERON-TB tests for latent tuberculosis, which became widely used as a standard for screening at-risk populations.[10] The company also pursued share buy-backs and introduced its first regular dividend, signalling confidence in its balance sheet and future prospects.[18][19]

🔄 Planned succession. In November 2025 QIAGEN announced that Bernard would step down as CEO once a successor was appointed, following more than a decade at the company and six years at its helm.[7] The supervisory board emphasised that he would remain in office during the transition, and market reaction suggested investors viewed the move as a managed succession rather than a crisis.[7][19]

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Compensation and wealth

💰 Executive remuneration. As CEO of QIAGEN, Bernard receives a compensation package typical of a mid-sized multinational life sciences company. In 2023 his total remuneration was about US$2.11 million, comprising a base salary of roughly US$0.98 million, an annual bonus of around US$0.78 million and additional long-term incentives and benefits.[18][20] His pay in 2021 and 2022 was higher, reflecting exceptional incentive payouts as QIAGEN exceeded performance targets during the COVID-19 boom.[18][20]

📊 Incentive alignment and share ownership. Bernard has stated a preference for keeping his base salary below prevailing market levels in exchange for a higher proportion of performance-based equity, a structure intended to align his interests with those of shareholders.[18] By 2025 he directly held around 0.13 per cent of QIAGEN’s outstanding shares, a stake worth an estimated US$12–13 million at recent market prices.[19]

🪑 Board roles and other engagements. In addition to his duties at QIAGEN, Bernard serves as chair of AdvaMedDx, the diagnostics division of the U.S. medical device association AdvaMed, and in 2024 he joined the board of Neogen Corporation, a U.S. food and animal safety diagnostics company.[14][9] He has also held board or advisory roles with private diagnostics firms such as Daktari Diagnostics and First Light BioSciences, as well as the eco-tourism company Huttopia & Cie, engagements that broaden his exposure beyond mainstream medical technology.[15][14]

🏅 Honours and public appointments. As a French executive with extensive international experience, Bernard was appointed a Conseiller du commerce extérieur de la France (Foreign Trade Advisor), an honorary role in which he advises France’s government on trade policy and mentors young companies seeking to expand abroad.[14][11] The position is pro bono and reflects his long-standing interest in public service and international economic relations.

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Personal life and leadership style

🏠 Family and residences. Bernard is known as a private individual who rarely discusses his family in public, although profiles note that he is married and has children.[21] Having lived and worked in France, Belgium, the United Kingdom, China and the United States, he has in recent years been based near Boston while frequently travelling to QIAGEN’s European hubs in Germany and the Netherlands.[15][9]

🌎 Global outlook. Colleagues describe Bernard as cosmopolitan and intellectually curious yet unpretentious, traits reinforced by his fluency in French and English and working knowledge of Spanish and some German.[12][11] He often encourages younger professionals to "leave your hometown" and gain international experience early in their careers, reflecting his belief that exposure to different cultures sharpens judgment and creativity.[11]

🤝 Servant leadership and culture. Bernard’s management style emphasises humility, teamwork and continuous improvement. In internal communications he has warned that the main risk of being number one in a market is to become arrogant, urging QIAGEN employees to avoid a "been there, done that" mindset and instead constantly seek better ways of working.[10] He regularly credits "QIAGENers"—the company’s staff—for its achievements and is regarded internally as a people-focused leader, a perception reflected in positive employee feedback about the firm’s collaborative culture.[10][13]

✈️ Mentorship and personal interests. Beyond formal roles, Bernard participates in alumni networks of Sciences Po and Harvard Business School, appears on industry panels and podcasts and mentors younger managers, activities consistent with his view that leadership involves nurturing future talent.[11][8] He has expressed enthusiasm for travel and the outdoors and has been linked with eco-tourism initiatives through Huttopia & Cie, suggesting an interest in environmentally conscious leisure alongside his professional commitment to healthcare innovation.[15][14]

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Controversies and challenges

⚖️ Debate over Thermo Fisher bid. The most prominent controversy of Bernard’s tenure concerned the proposed acquisition of QIAGEN by Thermo Fisher Scientific in 2020. Some shareholders later criticised management, including Bernard, for initially endorsing a price that appeared low once the pandemic-driven surge in testing demand became evident.[7] Activist investors such as Davidson Kempner campaigned against the offer, and the eventual collapse of the deal after insufficient tenders was described by analysts as a rare public rebuke for QIAGEN’s leadership.[7][16]

🧬 Sequencing strategy reversal. Another challenge stemmed from QIAGEN’s 2019 decision, made before Bernard became CEO but implemented during his rise to the top job, to halt internal development of next-generation sequencing systems and rely on partnerships instead.[16] The move led to a major restructuring, layoffs and a substantial asset write-down, prompting one trade publication to characterise the day of the announcement as "clearly a bad day" for the company; Bernard subsequently worked to persuade investors that concentrating on reagents and tests while partnering on instruments would prove more sustainable.[17][10]

🌱 Macroeconomic and regulatory headwinds. Like other global diagnostics firms, QIAGEN under Bernard has had to navigate currency volatility, inflation and geopolitical tensions—such as trade frictions affecting medical supplies—while remaining compliant with stringent regulatory and intellectual-property regimes.[8][10] He has supported donations of diagnostic kits to low-income countries and backed environmental and diversity initiatives at QIAGEN, presenting these as aspects of responsible corporate stewardship rather than primarily as political statements.[10][22]

📉 Performance expectations and integration risks. Some investors have observed that QIAGEN’s growth under Bernard, while generally solid, has not always matched the most optimistic projections, particularly once pandemic-related revenues declined.[19] Integrating acquisitions such as the NeuMoDx PCR platform and later Parse Biosciences brought execution risks, but Bernard has largely avoided personal scandal or legal controversy, and QIAGEN has remained free of major governance crises during his leadership.[7][17]

~*~

Honours and broader significance

🎓 Champion of international education. Bernard’s educational path—spanning French, Belgian, British, Spanish and American institutions—is relatively unusual among leaders of science-focused companies and has made him a visible advocate for international study.[11][14] He frequently speaks at events organised by Sciences Po and other alma maters about embracing change and argues that the broad "mindset" fostered by humanities-oriented education is an asset in navigating complex industries such as diagnostics.[11]

🇫🇷 French executive on the global stage. As a French national heading a company with major operations in Germany, the Netherlands and the United States, Bernard is seen in French business media as an example of a domestic manager who has built a career abroad while still contributing to France’s economic diplomacy.[14][6] His role as a Foreign Trade Advisor and his participation in French-linked networks underscore this dual identity as both global executive and representative of French economic interests.[11]

🧠 Diagnostics and public-health advocacy. Bernard’s career coincided with the rise of diagnostics from a relatively low-profile segment of healthcare to a central component of pandemic preparedness and precision medicine. He has argued in interviews and op-eds that diagnostics should be treated as a critical asset for any healthcare policy rather than a cost centre, urging sustained investment in testing infrastructure and surveillance capacities.[10][8] His public interventions during and after the COVID-19 crisis helped position QIAGEN, and diagnostics more broadly, as strategic tools for managing public-health challenges.

🛠️ Transferable skills narrative. Bernard’s shift from political science student and regional trade promoter to the helm of a high-tech diagnostics company is often cited as an example of how generalist training can lead to leadership roles in specialised industries.[11] He has told students that what matters most is the capacity to adapt, learn quickly and ask informed questions—in his words, that "with challenges and changes come opportunities"—a motto that encapsulates both his personal trajectory and his approach to corporate strategy.[11][8]

~*~

References

  1. ↑ "Thierry Bernard: With challenges and changes come opportunities". Sciences Po American Foundation.
  2. ↑ "Thierry Bernard: With challenges and changes come opportunities". Sciences Po American Foundation.
  3. ↑ "QIAGEN insights magazine 2022" (PDF). QIAGEN.
  4. ↑ "QIAGEN insights magazine 2022" (PDF). QIAGEN.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 "QIAGEN names Thierry Bernard as Chief Executive Officer". QIAGEN N.V. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Thierry Bernard personal appointments". Companies House. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  7. ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 "Qiagen CEO to step down as company snaps up Parse Biosciences". Fierce Biotech. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 8.8 "Thierry Bernard, CEO of QIAGEN: Transforming Beyond Boundaries". FocusFirst. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 9.6 9.7 "Thierry Bernard". QIAGEN N.V. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  10. ↑ 10.00 10.01 10.02 10.03 10.04 10.05 10.06 10.07 10.08 10.09 10.10 10.11 10.12 10.13 10.14 10.15 10.16 10.17 "QIAGEN Insights magazine 2022" (PDF). QIAGEN N.V. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  11. ↑ 11.00 11.01 11.02 11.03 11.04 11.05 11.06 11.07 11.08 11.09 11.10 11.11 11.12 11.13 11.14 11.15 11.16 11.17 11.18 11.19 11.20 "Thierry Bernard: "With challenges and changes come opportunities."". Sciences Po American Foundation. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 "Thierry Bernard profile". LinkedIn. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "QIAGEN employee reviews about "people"". Glassdoor. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 14.4 14.5 14.6 "QIAGEN all speakers bios" (PDF). QIAGEN N.V. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 "Thierry Bernard - board member at Daktari Diagnostics". The Org. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 16.6 "Qiagen CEO quits amid genetic sequencing U-turn, shares tumble". Reuters. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 "Qiagen taps new CEO, restructures in 'clearly a bad day'". MedTech Dive. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 18.4 "QIAGEN Remuneration Report 2023" (PDF). QIAGEN N.V. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 19.3 "Qiagen N.V. (QGEN) leadership and management team analysis". Simply Wall St. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Thierry Bernard salary information 2023". ERI Economic Research Institute. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  21. ↑ "Smart Money Circle podcast". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  22. ↑ "QIAGEN receives positive court decision reaffirming an important QuantiFERON-TB patent". QIAGEN N.V. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
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