Peer M Schatz

Peer M. Schatz (born August 3, 1965) is the Chief Executive Officer of Qiagen N.V.

Schatz grew up in the United States and Switzerland. After his Matura (A-Levels/ university entrance diploma), Schatz studied business and social sciences at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland. He graduated with a Masters in Finance in 1989 and obtained a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Chicago Graduate School in Business in 1990. Schatz worked in different positions for Sandoz AG and Computerland and participated in the foundation of startup companies in the computer and software trading industry in Europe and the United States.

In 1993, Schatz joined Qiagen and paved the way for both the company’s initial public offering at the Nasdaq in 1996 as the first German company ever and the subsequent listing at the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Germany). Since 2004, Schatz has been Qiagen’s Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Executive Committee. In this function, he has advanced Qiagen’s strategic focus on sample and assay technologies in the molecular diagnostics, applied testing, academic and pharmaceutical markets.

Peer Schatz serves as a member of the Managing Board of PMS Asset Management GmbH and holds director positions of AdvaMedDx (U.S. in-vitro diagnostics industry organization) and ALSSA (U.S. Analytical & Life Science Systems Association). Until 2011, he was a member of the German Corporate Governance Commission.

Schatz is married to Nadine Schatz-Grandjean-Perrenoud-Contesse, a Swiss citizen and likewise an alumna of the University of St. Gallen. He is the son of famous biochemist Gottfried Schatz, who co-discovered mitochondrial DNA.