FairJourney Biologics has appointed Werner Lanthaler as chief executive officer to lead the company’s next growth phase in antibody discovery and development.

Lanthaler succeeds founder António Parada, who will now focus on innovation strategy as a member of the supervisory board after almost 14 years at the helm.

Lanthaler brings extensive biopharmaceutical leadership experience, having spent 15 years as chief executive of Evotec, where he oversaw the company’s expansion in precision medicine and collaborative drug discovery. He previously served as chief financial officer of Intercell, contributing to the company’s IPO and vaccine launches.

Werner Lanthaler said: “Shared data- and AI-driven innovation platforms will be critical to accelerating drug discovery while reducing development timelines and costs. FairJourney Biologics is best positioned to be the global leader in delivering significant efficiency gains resulting from the entire ‘gene to clone’ process for its partners. I am honoured to lead FJBio into its next growth phase.”

Partners Group, which supports FairJourney Biologics’ growth, welcomed the appointment. Pascal Noth, head of healthcare and life sciences Europe at Partners Group, said: “FairJourney Biologics has grown from a bold idea in Porto into a global innovator, and António’s leadership has been instrumental in that journey. We are confident that under Werner’s leadership, the company will build on this foundation and continue to deliver transformative impact in antibody discovery.”

Parada added: “FairJourney Biologics is just at the beginning of its mission to lead the field of rapid antibody development. Innovation will hold a central role in helping to drive transformational benefits to our partners.”

The leadership transition is aimed at reinforcing FairJourney Biologics’ position in integrated antibody.