Róbert Wessman

Róbert Wessman became the Executive Chairman of Alvogen in July 2009 and is now Chairman & CEO of the group. Since founding the business 6 years ago, Róbert has grown Alvogen from a small US business into a global pharmaceutical with commercial operations in 35 countries and with 2,500 employees.

Under his leadership, Alvogen has set a clear goal to become a top five global generics player, and is making strong progress towards that ambition. Wessman’s vision to create an organization which is able to respond to the needs of its customers has led to the development of a balanced yet specialized portfolio consisting of 500 marketed products, as well as a deep pipeline of high-value products in development.

Róbert is known for his clear focus and his ability to successfully combine operational efficiency and external growth through strategic acquisitions. Wessman has grown Alvogen’s revenue by an impressive 67% CAGR over the past six years, or by 59% on an organic basis. He has also overseen a number of strategic acquisitions and partnerships during that time, particularly to strengthen the company’s growth platforms in the APAC and CEE regions.

A business graduate and former lecturer at the University of Iceland, Wessman began his career at the Icelandic shipping company Samskip where he quickly advanced to the post of CEO in Germany. In 1999, he became President and CEO of Delta in 1999, which later formed Actavis. Wessman was CEO of Actavis Group, which became one of the largest generic pharmaceutical companies in the world for nine years.

His achievements have made him the subject of a Harvard Business School Case Study published in May 2008, titled “Róbert Wessman and the Actavis Winning Formula”.