Biography
Dr Mario Polywka (born in 1963, British citizen) was appointed Member of the Supervisory Board on 19 June 2019 for a term of five years. His current term will expire at the end of the Annual General Meeting held in the year 2024.
Dr Polywka retired from the Management Board of Evotec AG effective 31 December 2018. Until then, he served as member of the Management Board and Chief Operating Officer of Evotec AG since 28 November 2007.
In 1991, he was a founding chemist of Oxford Asymmetry International plc (OAI), became Director of Chemistry in 1993 and a Board Director in 1996. In 1999, Dr Polywka was appointed Chief Operating Officer and in 2000 Chief Executive Officer of OAI. Following the merger of EVOTEC BioSystems AG with OAI in 2000 he was Chief Operating Officer until 2002. Between 2002 and 2004, Dr Polywka ran a number of spin-out companies from Oxford and Southampton Universities.
Dr Polywka received his Bachelor’s degree from Hertford College, Oxford University and his Doctorate from the University of Oxford in mechanistic organometallic chemistry with Professor Steve Davies and continued at Oxford with post-doctoral studies on the biosynthesis of Penicillin with Professor Sir Jack Baldwin. He held a number of college teaching posts at Oxford University between 1988 and 1994.
Dr Polywka is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and has a number of publications and patents mainly in the field of asymmetric synthesis.
In May 2017, Dr Mario Polywka became a member of the Board of Directors of Forge Therapeutics, Inc. and in September 2017, Dr Mario Polywka also joined the Board of Directors of Exscientia Ltd. In September 2019, Dr Polywka was appointed Non-Executive Director at the UK biotech company Orbit Discovery, and has accepted a position as Senior Advisor with MCF Corporate Finance. He has served as Non-Executive Director at UK based company C4X Discovery Holdings PLC since December 2021.
Dr Mario Polywka, who served as COO of Evotec until 31 December 2018 and who was elected to the Supervisory Board on the recommendations of a group of shareholders who together hold more than 25% of the total number of voting rights in the Company, is regarded as not independent.
*On 3rd January 2024, Dr Mario Polywka has agreed to step in as interim CEO after Dr Werner Lanthaler stepped down as CEO. His Supervisory Board mandate is inactive while he works in his role as interim CEO for up to 12 months.