Fritz Gerber

Fritz Gerber (22 March 1929 – 10 May 2020) was a Swiss business executive. He was the Chief Executive Officer of Hoffmann-La Roche from 1978 to 1998. From 1977 to 1991, he was also the CEO of Zurich Insurance Group. Under his management, Roche expanded to become a significant player in biotechnology and diagnostics.

Biography Fritz Gerber was born on 22 March 1929 in Huttwil, a municipality in the Canton of Bern. After completing his law degree at the University of Bern, he found work as a trade negotiator for the Swiss government. In 1958, he started his career at Zurich Insurance, performing legal work in a number of locations. He rose through the ranks quickly. In 1965, he became a director of the insurance company at the age of 36 and in 1974 was named as the president of the management board.

In 1977, he was appointed as CEO of Zurich Insurance. One year later, Hoffman-La Roche named him as its CEO, but retained his position at Zurich.

In 1990, Gerber moved into the biotechnology field with the acquisition of a 60% stake in Genentech for $2.1 billion.

Fritz Gerber suffered a stroke on 9 May 2020 and died on 10 May 2020 at the age of 91.