At the laboratory equipment supplier Tecan, the Group management and finances are now in female hands

Women are still the exception at the top of listed companies in Switzerland. Companies that employ female managers in the two most important positions, CEO and CFO, are even rarer.

At Logitech, the Vaud-based technology group, this constellation existed temporarily last year. However, in the meantime, a man, Matteo Anversa, has once again taken over the position of CFO alongside CEO Hanneke Faber .

At Tecan, the laboratory equipment supplier from Männedorf, a female duo will hold the two key positions starting in August, with no time limit. As announced on Thursday, Monica Manotas will replace the current CEO, Achim von Leoprechting. Tania Micki has been in office as Chief Financial Officer since March 2020.

Despite the abrupt change, von Leoprechting, who has headed the Group's management since 2019, is apparently leaving Tecan voluntarily. He intends to pursue new opportunities, the company announced.

Under the leadership of the now 57-year-old German manager, Tecan increased sales by 60 percent. Acquisitions also made a significant contribution to this. However, in the past two years, the company, which specializes in laboratory automation in research facilities in the pharmaceutical industry, as well as in hospitals and universities, has faced significant losses. Group revenue shrank from over 1.1 billion to 934 million Swiss francs during this period. Furthermore, the company was forced to issue profit warnings several times.

All of this took a toll on the reputation of the former CEO. On Thursday, relief at the swift replacement prevailed. Tecan's share price rose by over 4 percent to CHF 166.20 by midday. "Tecan needs a breath of fresh air, and we welcome this step," analysts at Zürcher Kantonalbank stated before trading began, likely on behalf of many market participants.

During the coronavirus pandemic, when hospitals and many pharmaceutical companies invested heavily in upgrading their laboratories, the Zurich-based company's shares were at times in high demand. In September 2021, the price climbed to almost 600 francs. Since then, however, the shares have declined almost continuously. Year to date, the company has also seen a significant price loss of 18 percent.

Monica Manotas's appeal was based on the fact that the Colombian-American dual citizen already knew the company as a member of the board of directors. She was first elected to the board in 2024. As a manager, she worked for US competitor Thermo Fisher Scientific until 2023, most recently leading a product division with $7 billion in sales at this industry heavyweight.

During her more than 20 years with the company, she also lived in Switzerland from 2006 to 2009. Manotas, born in 1973, currently still resides in the United States. However, Tecan emphasizes that she will move to Switzerland.

The new CEO's most urgent task will be to return Tecan to growth. She will also have to get costs under control. Last year, Tecan eliminated around 300 of its nearly 3,600 jobs worldwide to adapt its structures to the reduced demand.

A new challenge for Tecan is the US tariffs. The US share of total sales is over 50 percent. At the same time, only about half of these sales are generated with American-made products and locally provided services. The remainder is accounted for by imports.

Tecan's largest production site is now located in Penang, Malaysia. Malaysia learned from the US administration on Tuesday that the "reciprocal" tariff is now 25 percent . On "Liberation Day" in April, the figure was still 24 percent.