Karl Penz, MBA

Member of the Board of Directors

Karl Penz is the Head of Finance – Innovation Unit (R&D) & Group Functions of Boehringer Ingelheim.

Karl leads global teams with his broad experience in Finance & Controlling matters as well as large scale program management. He brings along excellent analytical ability and interpersonal skills, and a sharp understanding of industry. He is driving change and engages others in shaping the future of Boehringer Ingelheim.

Detlev Mennerich, PhD

Member of the Board of Directors

Detlev Mennerich is the Global Head of the BI Venture Fund.

Detlev Mennerich, a seasoned professional with a 20-year tenure at Boehringer Ingelheim, has been leading the Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund (BIVF) as Global Head since January 2025. Detlev holds a PhD in Cell & Molecular Biology. His industrial career began in 2001 at metaGen & Schering. Joining Boehringer Ingelheim in 2005, he contributed to the approval of Spevigo for the treatment of Generalized Pustular Psoriasis. As Investment Director of the BI Venture Fund from 2014, he invested in groundbreaking therapeutics including ViraTherapeutics & NBE Therapeutics. In 2020, Detlev took charge as the Head of the Discovery Research unit Research Beyond Borders before becoming the Head of Business Development & Licensing at Boehringer Ingelheim in 2022.

Simon J. Ittig, PhD

Member of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer

Simon completed a PhD on microbial pathogenesis at the University of Basel in the framework of the Werner Siemens Excellence fellowships. He started working on the T3 Pharma technology during his postdoctoral studies at the Biozentrum. For these achievements he received the Novartis and University of Basel Excellence Scholarship in 2014 and a research prize from the Huggenberger-Bischoff foundation for cancer research in the same year.