Róbert Wessman

Róbert Wessman is Chairman of the board of Lotus and Chairman & CEO of the Alvogen group. Since founding the business 6 years ago, he has grown Alvogen from a small US business into a global pharmaceutical with commercial operations in 35 countries and with 2,500 employees. The business plan for Alvogen was originally scribbled on a napkin in a New York restaurant back in 2009 in the middle of one of the worst financial crises in history when access to capital was virtually non-existent.

Under Róbert Wessman’s leadership, Alvogen has set a clear goal to become a top five global generics player and is making strong progress towards that ambition. His 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.

Wessman is known for his clear focus and his ability to successfully combine operational efficiency and external growth through strategic acquisitions. Róbert 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.

He chose Taiwan’s Lotus to expand into the APAC markets. Originating from an island-country himself, he knows and appreciates the values held by the Taiwanese, sharing a similar ambition and drive.

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, which later formed Actavis. Róbert Wessman was CEO of Actavis Group, which became one of the largest generic pharmaceutical companies in the world for nine years.