Elisabeth Lackner Named Chief Scientific Officer at Element Materials Technology

Element Materials Technology (Element) has appointed Dr. Elisabeth Lackner as chief scientific officer (CSO).
 
In the newly created CSO role, Dr. Lackner joins the Operating Board ensuring that Element is positioned at the leading edge of scientific thinking. She will be tasked with driving technical excellence and ensuring continued scientific rigor across the global business of more than 7,000 colleagues, with a focus on accelerating growth and services across life sciences.

“We’re delighted to welcome Elisabeth to the leadership team of Element. Elisabeth joins us at a time of significant international expansion. She will play a key role in our ambitious growth strategy to support customers in the pharma, medtech and life sciences markets,” said Jo Wetz, CEO, Element. “In her new role as chief scientific officer, Elisabeth will help us respond and mobilize to global trends affecting this industry, combining her scientific expertise and proven leadership skills. She joins an experienced international team, as we continue to grow both organically and through strategic M&A.”
 
Life sciences now represents the largest end-market for Element. The company has invested more than $400 million over the last three years to build out its expertise and capability for its customers, expanding to a team of more than 1,000 experts across 23 facilities in North America and Europe. This significant step change in pharmaceutical and medical testing capabilities from Element forms part of its broader strategic shift to increase its global presence and create leadership positions in life sciences and connected technologies end-markets.
 
Dr. Lackner is a highly experienced pharmaceutical and biotechnology executive and well-respected global thought leader. She joins from Vineta, a family office focusing on long-term investments in life sciences, where she served as managing director. Prior to this she led the merger of ABF Pharmaceutical Services and GBA Group Pharma, serving as the CEO of the GBA Pharma Division. As CEO, she turned the company from a national vendor into an international trusted partner for the Pharma and Biotech industries. Dr. Lackner also serves as a QP (Qualified Person) and is a respected consultant in the life sciences industry.

Dr. Lackner earned a Ph.D. in pharmacy from the University of Vienna and a masters in tumor biology. She holds external positions on several boards, including Marinomed and Rivean Capital.
 
“It is exciting to be part of such an ambitious and professional team embarking on building new global offerings across a broad range of services in the life science industry, including research and development, diagnostics, analytical testing, manufacturing, regulatory assurance, calibration, and validation,” Dr. Lackner said. “I am looking forward to supporting customers throughout the lifecycle of their technology and products, from discovery and biopharma testing, to materials testing and manufacturing. With the ever-greater significance of advances in medical science and the importance of pharmaceutical and medical device development and commercialization, Element is ideally positioned to play an even greater role in supporting our customers across life sciences and beyond.”
 
Dr. Lackner will help Element create a global platform for life sciences, with integrated support for the medicinal product and medical device industries.The Element Materials Technology Group is one of the world’s leading global providers of testing, inspection and certification services for a diverse range of products, materials and technologies in advanced industrial supply chains. Headquartered in London, Element’s roughly 7,000 scientists, engineers and technologists, working in a global network of more than 200 laboratories, support customers from early R&D, through complex regulatory approvals and into production ensuring their products are safe, sustainable and achieve market access.