Pharmaceutical company Hovione announced on Tuesday the appointment of Stefan Doboczky, current board chairman since 2024, as CEO effective 1 April 2027. Austrian Doboczky will cease being chairman next year, replacing the interim and shared executive leadership that was in the hands of Marco Gil and António Almeida.
Guy Villax, director and President of the Family Council, stated that the future CEO "acquired deep knowledge of the company, its culture and its people" during his tenure as chairman, and that his international experience and transformation capabilities place him "in a privileged position to lead Hovione in its next phase of growth".
The appointment marks Stefan Doboczky's return to the pharmaceutical industry after more than 17 years at Royal DSM, where he was responsible for the global pharmaceutical portfolio and growth in Asia. Subsequently, he was CEO at listed industrial companies such as Lenzing, Heubach and Borealis, currently holding positions as Chief Commercial Officer and Vice President at Borouge International, resulting from the merger between Borealis, Borouge and Nova Chemicals, positions he will leave on 1 October 2026.
Founded in 1959 in Loures, Hovione is a family-owned technology and pharmaceutical services group with more than 2,600 employees and four production and research facilities in Europe, the United States and China. The company states that the appointment "represents an important step in Hovione's evolution" and reflects the ambition to "strengthen its international position as a reference provider of technology and services for pharmaceutical companies worldwide".
