QIAGEN to Appoint Dr. Metin Colpan as Honorary Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Continue Governance Renewal and Propose Increased Returns at 2026 Annual General Meeting

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05/12/2026 - 02:00 AM

Co-founder and former CEO Dr. Metin Colpan to become Honorary Chairman of the Supervisory Board after deciding not to stand for re-election

Robert McMahon nominated for election to Supervisory Board as part of ongoing renewal process, with seven of eight proposed members having joined since 2021

40% increase in annual dividend proposed to $0.35 per share, reflecting continued commitment to increasing returns to shareholders

Additional share repurchase authorizations, including authorization for further open-market share repurchases and a new $200 million synthetic share repurchase

Thierry Bernard to stand for re-election as Managing Board member until a new CEO has been appointed; Roland Sackers to stand for re-election to Managing Board

VENLO, Netherlands--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- QIAGEN (NYSE: QGEN; Frankfurt Prime Standard: QIA) today announced proposals for its 2026 Annual General Meeting, including plans to appoint co-founder and former Chief Executive Officer Dr. Metin Colpan as Honorary Chairman, the continued renewal of the Supervisory Board and increased returns to shareholders.

The Annual General Meeting, to be held on June 24, 2026, in Venlo, the Netherlands, will include proposals to elect Robert McMahon as a new member of the Supervisory Board, approve a 40% increase in the annual cash dividend and authorize additional shareholder returns through a synthetic share repurchase of up to the currently allowed maximum of $200 million as well as further open-market share repurchases.

These proposals come as QIAGEN continues a significant renewal of its Supervisory Board. Following the Annual General Meeting, seven of the eight proposed Supervisory Board members will have joined since 2021, while maintaining continuity and institutional knowledge through longer-tenured members and experienced Board and committee leadership.

Following the Annual General Meeting, the Supervisory Board would continue to be composed of eight members: Stephen H. Rusckowski (Chair), Dr. Toralf Haag, Bert van Meurs, Robert McMahon, Eva van Pelt, Dr. Eva Pisa, Mark P. Stevenson and Elizabeth E. Tallett.

“We are deeply grateful to Metin Colpan for his extraordinary contributions to QIAGEN as co-founder, first Chief Executive Officer and long-serving member of the Supervisory Board,” said Stephen H. Rusckowski, Chair of the Supervisory Board. “These proposals outlined for the Annual General Meeting continue the renewal of our Supervisory Board and reaffirm our commitment to best corporate governance practices, strong Board oversight and long-term value creation for shareholders and other stakeholders.”

Dr. Metin Colpan to be appointed Honorary Chairman of the Supervisory Board

Dr. Colpan has decided to conclude his service on the Supervisory Board at the Annual General Meeting and will not stand for re-election. In recognition of his contributions to QIAGEN, the Supervisory Board intends to appoint him as Honorary Chairman following the meeting.

Dr. Colpan played a defining role in QIAGEN’s creation and development, helping establish its scientific foundation, entrepreneurial culture and long-term strategic direction. A co-founder of QIAGEN, he served as Chief Executive Officer from 1985 to 2003 and helped build the company from a university-linked start-up in Düsseldorf into a global leader in Sample to Insight solutions.

Dr. Colpan’s pioneering scientific work in nucleic acid separation and purification helped shape technologies that became important QIAGEN products, and have since been widely adopted in molecular biology labs across the world. These innovations have enabled faster, more reliable and more efficient isolation and analysis of DNA and RNA, supporting advances across the Life Sciences and clinical diagnostics.

Since 2004, Dr. Colpan has continued to contribute to QIAGEN’s strategic and scientific direction as a member of the Supervisory Board, including as Chair of the Science & Technology Committee since 2014. His contributions have also received external recognition, including his selection as a finalist for the European Patent Office’s 2021 European Inventor Award in the lifetime achievement category. Beyond his scientific and entrepreneurial contributions, Dr. Colpan has been closely associated with QIAGEN’s people-centered culture, emphasizing the importance of translating scientific innovation into lasting impact for customers, patients and society.

“I am deeply grateful to the many QIAGENers whose commitment, expertise and passion have shaped QIAGEN’s development and helped support the genomic revolution,” said Dr. Colpan. “Their work has helped turn scientific ideas into trusted products that support research, diagnostics and better healthcare decisions around the world. It is a privilege to be part of this journey, and I look forward to remaining connected as QIAGEN continues to advance science and improve healthcare.”

Robert McMahon proposed for election to Supervisory Board

Robert McMahon, the Chief Financial Officer of West Pharmaceutical Services, Inc., has been proposed for election to the Supervisory Board.

Prior to this role, he served as Chief Financial Officer of Agilent Technologies Inc. from 2018 to 2025, and as Chief Financial Officer of Hologic, Inc. from 2014 to 2018. Earlier in his career, Mr. McMahon spent 20 years with Johnson & Johnson in executive finance roles of increasing responsibility. He also serves on the Board of Directors of OraSure Technologies, Inc. Mr. McMahon earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Central Florida and a bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Florida.

“We are pleased to propose Robert McMahon for election to QIAGEN’s Supervisory Board,” said Mr. Rusckowski. “He would further strengthen the profile of the Board with deep experience in global healthcare, Life Sciences and public company finance. His financial acumen and track record in the capital markets will be valuable as QIAGEN continues to focus on execution and disciplined capital allocation to the highest return opportunities.”

Proposed annual dividend

QIAGEN is proposing a 40% increase in its annual cash dividend to $0.35 per ordinary share, compared with the initial annual dividend of $0.25 approved by shareholders in 2025.

QIAGEN introduced its first annual dividend in 2025 as an additional way to return capital to shareholders while preserving flexibility to reinvest in long-term growth. The proposed 2026 dividend reflects a disciplined capital allocation approach focused on the highest return opportunities that also includes organic investments, particularly in R&D and commercialization initiatives, as well as targeted M&A opportunities.

The expected dividend timetable for shares listed on both the New York Stock Exchange and Frankfurt Stock Exchange is as follows: ex-date July 7, 2026; record date July 7, 2026; and payment date July 14, 2026.

Additional share repurchase authorizations

QIAGEN is also seeking shareholder approval for additional share repurchase authorizations as part of its disciplined approach to capital allocation and shareholder returns.

These authorizations include authorizations for open-market share repurchases of up to 10% of the Company’s share capital as well as a synthetic share repurchase of up to $200 million. If approved, these authorizations would provide QIAGEN with additional flexibility to return capital to shareholders while continuing to invest in long-term growth opportunities.

Managing Board appointments

Thierry Bernard, Chief Executive Officer, is also proposed for re-election as a Managing Board member until the appointment of a new CEO. The CEO selection process is progressing well, and a successor is currently expected to join during the second half of 2026. In the meantime, Mr. Bernard will continue to lead QIAGEN with the full support of the Supervisory Board to ensure continuity and focus. Roland Sackers, Chief Financial Officer, also stands for re-election as a Managing Board member.

2026 Annual General Meeting information

QIAGEN’s Annual General Meeting will be held on June 24, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. Amsterdam time at Maaspoort, Oude Markt 30, 5911 HH Venlo, the Netherlands. The meeting will also be available via live webcast in listen-only mode. Shareholders will not be able to vote or address the meeting through the webcast and are encouraged to review the materials and vote their shares in advance of the AGM.

About QIAGEN

QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands-based holding company, is a global leader in Sample to Insight solutions that enable customers to extract and analyze molecular information from biological samples containing the building blocks of life. Our Sample technologies isolate and process DNA, RNA and proteins from blood, tissue and other materials. Assay technologies prepare these biomolecules for analysis, while bioinformatics support the interpretation of complex data to deliver actionable insights. Automation solutions integrate these steps into streamlined, cost-effective workflows. QIAGEN serves more than 500,000 customers worldwide in the Life Sciences (academia, pharmaceutical R&D and industrial applications such as forensics) and molecular diagnostics (clinical healthcare). As of March 31, 2026, QIAGEN employed approximately 5,500 people across more than 35 locations. For more information, visit www.qiagen.com.

Forward-Looking Statement

Certain statements contained in this press release may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “believe”, “hope”, “plan”, “intend”, “seek”, “may”, “will”, “could”, “should”, “would”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “continue”, “target” or other similar words. To the extent that any of the statements contained herein relating to QIAGEN’s products, timing for launch and development, marketing and/or regulatory approvals, financial and operational outlook, growth and expansion, acquisitions, collaborations, markets, strategy or operating results, including without limitation its expected net sales, net sales of particular products, net sales in particular geographies, adjusted net sales, expansion of adjusted operating income margin, returns to shareholders, progressive dividend payments, product portfolio management, product launches (including anticipated launches of our sequencing solutions, testing platforms, panels and systems), leveraging AI technology, improvements in operating and financial leverage, currency movements against the U.S. dollar, plans for investment in our portfolio and share repurchase commitments, our expectations relating to our adjusted tax rate, debt maturity and repayment, our ability to grow adjusted earnings per share at a greater rate than sales, our ability to improve operating efficiencies and maintain disciplined capital allocation, are forward-looking, such statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that involve a number of uncertainties and risks. Such uncertainties and risks include, but are not limited to, risks associated with our dependence on the development and success of new products; management of growth and expansion of operations (including the effects of currency fluctuations, tariffs, tax laws, regulatory processes and logistics and supply chain dependencies); variability of operating results; integration of acquired businesses; changes in relationships with customers, suppliers and strategic partners; competition; rapid or unexpected changes in technologies; fluctuations in demand for QIAGEN’s products (including fluctuations due to general economic conditions, the level and timing of customers’ funding, budgets and other factors, including delays or limits in the amount of reimbursement approvals or public health funding); our ability to obtain and maintain product regulatory approvals; difficulties in successfully adapting QIAGEN’s products to integrated solutions and producing such products; the ability of QIAGEN to identify and develop new products and to differentiate and protect our products from competitors’ products; market acceptance of new products and the integration of acquired technologies and businesses; actions of governments, global or regional economic developments, including inflation and changing interest rates, weather or transportation delays, natural disasters, cyber security breaches, political or public health crises and the resulting impact on the demand for our products and other aspects of our business, or other force majeure events; litigation risk, including patent litigation and product liability; debt service obligations; volatility in the public trading price of our common shares; as well as the possibility that expected benefits related to recent or pending acquisitions may not materialize as expected; and the other factors discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in our most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F. For further information, please refer to the discussions in reports that QIAGEN has filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

Source: QIAGEN N.V.
Category: Corporate