Diegem, May 29, 2009 – With a joint push of the button, Bayer CEO Werner Wenning, Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy and René De Cleyn, Senior Bayer Representative for the Belgium/Luxembourg country group, today switched on the lights of the Bayer Cross – thus inaugurating the company’s new office building in Diegem. The sales and marketing activities of all three subgroups – Bayer HealthCare, Bayer CropScience and Bayer MaterialScience – as well as the administrative services are now combined under one roof. 250 guests, including leading politicians from the Belgian federal and regional governments, representatives of industry and civil society, the project partners, and members of the media and the workforce, had the opportunity to tour the modern and particularly environmentally friendly building.

V.l.n.r.: Dr. René De Cleyn, Senior Bayer Representative Belgium/Luxembourg, premier Herman Van Rompuy en Werner Wenning, Chairman of the Board of Management van Bayer AG. 

In his address, Werner Wenning – Chairman of the Board of Management of Bayer AG – emphasized the Belgian market’s importance to the company and expressed his relative optimism about the future despite the current global economic crisis. Bayer’s corporate strategy is proving effective even in this difficult environment, he said. According to the Bayer CEO, it is paying off that 70 percent of the company’s business – namely the HealthCare and CropScience subgroups – are less dependent on economic trends.

Wenning believes Bayer is on track for long-term success, thanks to its sustainable strategy and the potential its portfolio holds for innovation and growth. He said the company was well positioned for the future, and knew how to respond to the long-term challenges and changes facing society and the world’s markets. Examples he cited in this connection included the necessary shift in the health care sector in the face of diseases that are more common among the elderly, the rising demand for food and feed products, raw materials for regenerative energies, and products and concepts for climate protection. “Bayer is the only European chemical and pharmaceutical company to be included in the ‘Carbon Disclosure Leadership Index’ for the fourth consecutive year. This is the world’s first climate protection index. Here, too, we are on the right track,” Wenning stressed.

He described the new office building in Diegem as a special and prestigious address for Bayer – because it was not only located at the center of an important region, but also right in the middle of European policy- and decision-making. “This new office complex marks a starting point for another successful phase of development for Bayer in Belgium,” said the Bayer CEO, expressing his confidence.

 “Bayer’s investment in research and development in a wide variety of areas – including agricultural biotechnology at the Ghent site – clearly shows that R&D is high on the company’s agenda. This was also the reason why the government recently decided to initiate the pharmaceutical platform for research and development – a segment of the chemical industry in which Bayer too is active,” explained the Belgian Prime Minister. “With the inauguration of this new headquarters building, Bayer is demonstrating that the company will continue to be dependent on Belgian know-how and employees in the future. Allow me to wish Bayer an innovative future and a long presence in Belgium – for at least another century,” Van Rompuy said.

Dr. René De Cleyn, Senior Bayer Representative for Belgium and Luxembourg, pointed to the company’s long tradition in Belgium and presented the five companies in the country in which all core activities of Bayer are represented.He described the new building in Diegem as a testament to Bayer’s innovative strategy, which combines efficiency, sustainability and environmental friendliness. The building’s modern architecture, sustainable materials and innovative technologies guarantee optimal user comfort and a high level of energy efficiency, he explained, adding that it consumes only half as much energy as conventional buildings. “We have the know-how and dedication of a team of architects, engineers and technicians and our colleagues from Bayer Technology Services to thank for this outstanding achievement. This building can only increase the enthusiasm of our employees for the fascination that is Bayer,” concluded Dr. De Cleyn.

Bayer’s new building in Diegem is ideally located in close proximity to Brussels International Airport, major highways and the headquarters of numerous other international companies. 8,000 square meters of office and service space and 5,000 square meters of parking space in an underground garage are available to customers and the approximately 350 employees based in the building. Bayer employs more than 1,500 people at its Belgian sites.

Contact :

Lisette Mertens, Tel. : + 0032 2 535 63 10

E-mail: lisette.mertens@bayer.be

For more information, go to www.bayer.be