Bayer appoints Dorian Immler as new IP head as Jörg Thomaier steps down

Jörg Thomaier (58) has a background in chemistry and joined Bayer CropScience as trainee to become a European patent attorney in late 1997. After a spell in the polymers division, he took over management of the patent department, building up the technology section between 2002 and 2004, especially engineering.

Jörg Thomaier

In 2004 Thomaier took over as chief patent counsel at Bayer Business Services, later at Bayer HealthCare. He introduced effective use of PCT applications and played a key role in establishing the patent department at Bayer Business Services.

In 2010, he became chief IP counsel and corporate head of IP, leading the group’s IP activities. By mid-2011, he was global head of IP. The following year he also took over as managing director of the newly founded IP Bayer Group, which consolidated the company’s patent and other IP activities.

Monsanto integration

Several major developments occurred during his tenure that significantly impacted the IP department. These included Bayer HealthCare’s acquisition of Schering AG in 2006. However, one of the biggest challenges was integrating Monsanto’s IP department after Bayer acquired the US seed and agrochemical manufacturer in 2018. During this period, the now four-member IP litigation team led by Stefan Beyreuther also managed the large-scale defence of the blockbuster drug Xarelto, working alongside numerous external lawyers and patent attorneys.

On 1 July 2025, Thomaier will hand over his responsibilities to his successor Dorian Immler. He will retire later this year following a transition period during which he will serve as senior IP advisor.

Threefold responsibility

Dorian Immler, 53, will initially maintain his current position as head of patents pharma and consumer health alongside his new roles as head of IP Bayer Group and general manager of Bayer IP. He will oversee all IP activities, including litigation, contract work and M&A.

Dorian Immler

The biochemist joined Bayer in 1999, initially working in research. He moved into patent law in 2005, first as patent counsel and then in 2010 as chief patent counsel and global head of IP in the healthcare division.

In 2012, Immler became head of patents for the pharmaceuticals, consumer health and animal health divisions in the newly founded Bayer IP GmbH. In this role, he was involved in the high-profile dispute over compulsory licences for the cancer drug Nexavar in India in 2012 and the sale of the animal health division to Elanco in 2019.

The Bayer Group’s global IP department currently employs around 180 people, approximately half of whom have a legal or patent attorney background. In addition to the headquarters in Leverkusen, the company maintains smaller IP departments in China, the US, and France, among other locations.