December 15, 2025 - 01:00 pm CET
Virtual
Biopharma – Meet the Management
Members of the Fresenius and Fresenius Kabi management team will provide insights into the Biopharma segment.
Surgery to resolve a life-threatening diaphragmatic hernia has successfully been performed on a preterm baby weighing little more than 500 grams for the first time ever – an unprecedented procedure and medical breakthrough that brings hope.
Born three months preterm weighing just 490 grams, the little girl was barely bigger than an adult’s hand. Doctors delivered her by C-section on January 23, 2025 after her mother developed pregnancy-related complications. Senior Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynecology Dr. Friederike Senger discovered during an ultrasound before the little girl had even taken her first breath that she had a life-threatening defect. In this condition known as a diaphragmatic hernia, the abdominal organs move up into the chest cavity. This makes breathing almost impossible and would previously have been considered inoperable in such a tiny infant.
“Based on this diagnosis, we had to tell the girl’s parents that their daughter had only a very slim chance of surviving. I assured them, though, that we would do everything medically possible to try to save their tiny newborn,” recalls Dr. Kai Siedler, Chief Physician for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at the Helios hospital in Pforzheim.
An interdisciplinary team from two Helios sites – and a strong will to live
Thanks to highly specialized care with state-of-the-art ventilation technology and special feeding strategies, the neonatal team led by Chief Physician Dr. Kai Siedler and Senior Physician Alexandra Weber successfully stabilized the little girl, saving her life. In the days that followed, they were even able to start giving her breast milk, drop by drop via a tiny feeding tube.
An interdisciplinary team of surgeons and pediatricians from two Helios sites operated on the frail little girl when she was just 19 days old and weighed only 540 grams. Chief Physician Dr. Thomas Ringle and Senior Physician Max Böttinger-Hummel from the pediatric surgery department at Helios Klinikum Pforzheim and Prof. Dr. Stefan Gfrörer, Chief Physician for Pediatric Surgery at Helios Klinikum Berlin-Buch used special magnifying loupes to perform the procedure. They successfully closed the hole in the diaphragm and returned the organs to their correct position – in a newborn whose organs had only just begun to develop.
“We broke new ground with this surgery at such an extremely low birth weight. Without it, the child would have had no chance of surviving. The perfect cooperation between our experienced interdisciplinary team of surgeons, pediatric intensive care physicians, and intensive care nurses was key to its success. Our little patient’s sheer determination to live also impressed us time and again though,” emphasizes Dr. Thomas Ringle.
Aftercare by a highly committed team of nurses
After the successful surgery, the little girl received round-the-clock care from the dedicated nursing team in the pediatric intensive care unit, then on the intermediate care ward. She made excellent progress: There were no complications, her breathing stabilized, she gained weight, and began drinking on her own.
On 3 June, 130 days after her birth, the little patient could be discharged from hospital weighing 2,150 grams. She will continue to be treated as an outpatient and will return to the children’s hospital for any procedures she may need in the future.
Dr. Kai Siedler hails the surgery as a milestone: “This case shows what modern medicine can achieve today – but above all what is possible when a highly motivated team works together. We are proud of everyone involved.”
Despite their tremendous concern, the baby’s parents were always optimistic: “We were terrified that we might lose our child, but we never lost hope. We owe the fact that our daughter is alive today and thriving like she is to the courage and skill of the physicians and the entire pediatric care team. We will forever be grateful that we chose this hospital.”
This success once again highlights the outstanding expertise and exceptional teamwork of the Fresenius Helios staff in caring for high-risk preterm infants. And it should set a precedent: The experience gained from this procedure will be shared with the international medical community.
Effective immediately, Katrin Kerner (44) and Christian Wagner (39) will assume joint leadership of Group Communications at Fresenius. Both will assume the role on an interim basis and in addition to their current responsibilities as Head of CEO Relations and Head of Board Office. They will report directly to Fresenius CEO Michael Sen and succeed Anke Schmidt, who has led the communications function since June 2025 and has decided to leave the company at her own request.
“On behalf of the Management Board, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Anke Schmidt for her work and commitment. She has made an important contribution in a short period of time. We wish her all the best for her future endeavors”, says Michael Sen, CEO of Fresenius. “I am very pleased that Katrin Kerner and Christian Wagner will jointly assume this responsibility as a leadership team. Both have a deep understanding of the healthcare industry and are already actively shaping the strategic and cultural transformation of our company through #FutureFresenius. With their extensive experience in communications, finance, and corporate transformations at DAX-listed companies, they will further develop the communications function at Fresenius and continue to strengthen our brand.”
Katrin Kerner has been with Fresenius since 2023 and has served as Head of CEO Relations since 2024. In this role, she prepares CEO briefings, coordinates strategic company positions, and manages global partnerships. Before joining Fresenius, she held several leadership positions in communications functions at Siemens, Siemens Healthcare (today Siemens Healthineers), and Siemens Energy, including Head of Employee Communications at Siemens and Head of Executive Messages at Siemens Energy. During this time, she was actively involved in the IPO of Siemens Healthineers and the spin-off of Siemens Energy. Katrin Kerner studied Economics at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg and International Management at the Turku School of Economics in Finland.
Christian Wagner joined Fresenius in 2017, became Head of Corporate Finance in 2019, and has served as Head of Board Office since 2023. In this function, he plays a key role in steering and advancing Fresenius’s strategic direction. He is also responsible for Corporate Security. Before joining Fresenius, Christian Wagner worked in investment banking at Berenberg and at a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn. He studied Finance at Goethe University Frankfurt and the Institut Supérieur du Commerce (ISC) in Paris, France.
This release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Future results could differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements due to certain factors, e.g. changes in business, economic and competitive conditions, regulatory reforms, results of clinical trials, foreign exchange rate fluctuations, uncertainties in litigation or investigative proceedings, the availability of financing and unforeseen impacts of international conflicts. Fresenius does not undertake any responsibility to update the forward-looking statements in this release.
Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA
Registered Office: Bad Homburg, Germany / Commercial Register: Amtsgericht Bad Homburg, HRB 11852
Chairman of the Supervisory Board: Wolfgang Kirsch
General Partner: Fresenius Management SE
Registered Office: Bad Homburg, Germany / Commercial Register: Amtsgericht Bad Homburg, HRB 11673
Management Board: Michael Sen (Chairman), Pierluigi Antonelli, Sara Hennicken, Robert Möller, Dr. Michael Moser
Chairman of the Supervisory Board: Wolfgang Kirsch
Effective immediately, Katrin Kerner (44) and Christian Wagner (39) will assume joint leadership of Group Communications at Fresenius. Both will assume the role on an interim basis and in addition to their current responsibilities as Head of CEO Relations and Head of Board Office. They will report directly to Fresenius CEO Michael Sen and succeed Anke Schmidt, who has led the communications function since June 2025 and has decided to leave the company at her own request.
“On behalf of the Management Board, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Anke Schmidt for her work and commitment. She has made an important contribution in a short period of time. We wish her all the best for her future endeavors”, says Michael Sen, CEO of Fresenius. “I am very pleased that Katrin Kerner and Christian Wagner will jointly assume this responsibility as a leadership team. Both have a deep understanding of the healthcare industry and are already actively shaping the strategic and cultural transformation of our company through #FutureFresenius. With their extensive experience in communications, finance, and corporate transformations at DAX-listed companies, they will further develop the communications function at Fresenius and continue to strengthen our brand.”
Katrin Kerner has been with Fresenius since 2023 and has served as Head of CEO Relations since 2024. In this role, she prepares CEO briefings, coordinates strategic company positions, and manages global partnerships. Before joining Fresenius, she held several leadership positions in communications functions at Siemens, Siemens Healthcare (today Siemens Healthineers), and Siemens Energy, including Head of Employee Communications at Siemens and Head of Executive Messages at Siemens Energy. During this time, she was actively involved in the IPO of Siemens Healthineers and the spin-off of Siemens Energy. Katrin Kerner studied Economics at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg and International Management at the Turku School of Economics in Finland.
Christian Wagner joined Fresenius in 2017, became Head of Corporate Finance in 2019, and has served as Head of Board Office since 2023. In this function, he plays a key role in steering and advancing Fresenius’s strategic direction. He is also responsible for Corporate Security. Before joining Fresenius, Christian Wagner worked in investment banking at Berenberg and at a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn. He studied Finance at Goethe University Frankfurt and the Institut Supérieur du Commerce (ISC) in Paris, France.
This release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Future results could differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements due to certain factors, e.g. changes in business, economic and competitive conditions, regulatory reforms, results of clinical trials, foreign exchange rate fluctuations, uncertainties in litigation or investigative proceedings, the availability of financing and unforeseen impacts of international conflicts. Fresenius does not undertake any responsibility to update the forward-looking statements in this release.
Fresenius SE & Co. KGaA
Registered Office: Bad Homburg, Germany / Commercial Register: Amtsgericht Bad Homburg, HRB 11852
Chairman of the Supervisory Board: Wolfgang Kirsch
General Partner: Fresenius Management SE
Registered Office: Bad Homburg, Germany / Commercial Register: Amtsgericht Bad Homburg, HRB 11673
Management Board: Michael Sen (Chairman), Pierluigi Antonelli, Sara Hennicken, Robert Möller, Dr. Michael Moser
Chairman of the Supervisory Board: Wolfgang Kirsch
The German Association for Financial Analysis and Asset Management (DVFA) Scorecard for Corporate Governance serves as an important benchmark for assessing governance standards among DAX 40 companies in Germany. Fresenius has reached 2nd place in this year’s ranking – a significant leap from last year and thus the largest climb of all companies evaluated. This recognition reflects the significant progress made to further strengthen the company’s governance structures as part of the #FutureFresenius strategy.
The German Association for Financial Analysis and Asset Management (DVFA) Scorecard for Corporate Governance serves as an important benchmark for assessing governance standards among DAX 40 companies in Germany. Fresenius has reached 2nd place in this year’s ranking – a significant leap from last year and thus the largest climb of all companies evaluated. This recognition reflects the significant progress made to further strengthen the company’s governance structures as part of the #FutureFresenius strategy.
March 25, 2026
Bad Homburg, Germany
Publication Annual Report 2025
Consolidated Financial Statements and Management Report (IFRS)
