To the content

New Dual Leadership at AOP Health

February 7th 2023
AOP Orphan Pharmaceuticals GmbH (AOP Health), which specializes in the research and development of therapies for rare diseases and in intensive care medicine, is restructuring its top management from its Vienna headquarters. As of January 19, 2023, Martin Steinhart and Bernhard Nachbaur succeeded Georg Fischer as Co-CEOs at the company’s helm. With Steinhart's medical-scientific expertise and Nachbaur's business competence, the management is broadly positioned and well equipped to meet the demands of the company's future trajectory.

Vienna, 07.02.2023. With its new, broad-based management, AOP Health is responding to changes in the pharmaceutical industry: the pandemic and the associated supply bottlenecks, issues with the supply chain and logistics, as well as the global economic challenges and the associated inflation, are placing complex demands on the industry.

Martin Steinhart and Bernhard Nachbaur, the two new CEOs of AOP Orphan Pharmaceuticals GmbH have been working in upper management at AOP Health for several years, and know both the industry and the company well from different perspectives.

Core task research and development

Martin Steinhart is a medical doctor and has worked in the pharmaceutical industry for more than 20 years in local, regional, and global roles. Steinhart, who is known for his entrepreneurial skills and business savvy, will, among other things, be responsible for research and development, medical affairs, business development, technical operations and the program management office as Co-CEO of AOP Orphan Pharmaceuticals GmbH.

Dr. Martin Steinhart

AOP Health is facing new tasks and is well prepared for these changes with the new dual leadership, making the company fit for its transformation into a globally active group.
80 percent of our production takes place in Europe already, and we want to maintain and expand this in the future. In this way, we are preparing the ground for innovative drug development in Austria as well as in Europe and are helping to safeguard the site.

Economically stable set-up

Bernhard Nachbaur is a lawyer and tax consultant in his sixth year with AOP Health, where he created corporate structures from a financial and legal perspective that made a significant contribution to the company’s growth. Thanks to his intensive cooperation with various stakeholders, both internally and externally, Nachbaur knows the requirements and commercial needs of AOP Health very well. His competencies therefore include the areas of commercial, legal affairs, finance and IT.

Corporate Communications and Human Resources will be the responsibility of both CEOs in the future.

Portrait of Bernhard Nachbaur
Portrait of Bernhard Nachbaur
Bernhard Nachbaur, LL.M.

We see AOP Health as a dynamic pharmaceutical company that will grow significantly in the coming years. This growth will enable AOP Health to invest up to 150 million euros in new projects or substances in our pipeline in 2027. In this way, we will make a significant contribution to the security of supply of medicines for rare diseases and for use in intensive care medicine throughout Austria, but also globally.

Fit for the future

In order to set up the pipeline with a promising future, AOP Health relies on its own development of promising active ingredients, which is why the company is continually recruiting new employees. AOP Health is a growing company with many new job postings

Steinhart says, "AOP Health is looking for ambitious preclinical and clinical researchers to develop and oversee new research concepts and programs. We always welcome innovative minds." In addition, the company will intensify research collaborations to bring new drugs to regulatory approval.

 In 2023, the two CEOs are also looking forward to a historical milestone: In the first half of the year, they are expecting the first FDA (Food and Drug Administration) approval for a drug developed by AOP Health. This will mark the Austrian company's first successful entry into the US market.

Knowledge transfer guaranteed

Georg Fischer, who was previously CEO of AOP Orphan Pharmaceuticals GmbH, will move to OrphaCare GmbH, a member of the AOP Health Group, as Managing Director. He will continue to support the new management of AOP Health with his know-how, ensuring the continued knowledge transfer within the company.

About AOP Health

The AOP Health Group incorporates several companies including AOP Orphan Pharmaceuticals GmbH with its seat in Vienna, Austria (“AOP Health”). The AOP Health Group is the European pioneer for integrated therapies for rare diseases and in critical care. Over the past 25 years, the Group has become an established provider of integrated therapy solutions operating from its headquarters in Vienna, its subsidiaries and representative offices throughout Europe and the Middle East, as well as through partners worldwide. This development has been made possible by a continually high level of investment in research and development on the one hand and a highly consistent and pragmatic orientation towards the needs of all its stakeholders on the other – especially the patients and their families as well as the doctors and healthcare professionals treating them. 

Press Contact.

Mag. Nina Roth, MAS

Head of Corporate Communications
nina.roth[at]aop-health.com

To the main navigation