New Foundation leadership: Chitkala Kalidas and Kyra Constanze Pauly join Bayer Foundation
Bayer’s Board of Management has appointed Chitkala Kalidas as Senior Vice President and Executive Director of Bayer Foundation. This role is integrated into Chitkala’s current role as Senior Vice President of Bayer’s Environmental, Social and Governance organization. Kyra Constanze Pauly joins the team as Vice President and Managing Director of Bayer Foundation and will report to Chitkala Kalidas. We thank our esteemed former Executive Director, Monika Lessl, for her dedicated service and outstanding contributions to Bayer over the past 30 years and wish her the best in her future endeavors. We also thank Andrea Acerbi, former Vice President, Social Innovation, for her contributions to Bayer Foundation over the past four years and wish her the best in her future endeavors.
Welcome: Executive Director, Bayer Foundation
Chitkala Kalidas succeeds Monika Lessl as the Executive Director of Bayer Foundation. Chitkala joined Bayer in 2017 as the Global Head of Oncology Regulatory Affairs and has led several precedent setting product approvals globally.
Since 2021, she has also led Bayer’s Oncology Sustainability Initiative. As part of this initiative, Chitkala has led nine international public-private capacity building initiatives to enable underserved communities in India, Ghana, Egypt, Nigeria, Ukraine and the US to gain access to high quality medical care through health systems strengthening. These initiatives have been recognized by the US Government as well as the Governments of India, Egypt, Ghana and the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority. In June 2024, she joined the Public Affairs, Sustainability and Safety organization as Senior Vice President & Global Head of Environmental, Social and Governance. Chitkala’s career over the past 24 years has been at the intersection of science, business, sustainability and social impact. As a leader, she has a proven track record in leading high performing teams and building a strong network of partners. She is a scientist by training and has a PhD in Microbiology from Cornell University.
Welcome: Managing Director, Bayer Foundation
Kyra Constanze Pauly joins the Foundation as Managing Director. Kyra is a Vice President at Bayer AG.
She joined Bayer in 2006 and has taken on roles of increasing responsibility across strategy, consulting, innovation and sustainability in the pharmaceutical and agricultural sectors. Of note, she helped shape Bayer’s sustainability strategy towards inclusive growth, reduced ecological footprint and responsible business practices. Most recently, Kyra led the global stewardship team for crop protection within Strategy & Sustainability at Bayer Crop Science. In this role, she and her team successfully closed stewardship gaps and addressed key product risks related to human and environmental health. She also increased external stakeholder engagement and reporting transparency to drive global industry-wide stewardship efforts. Kyra has a strong track record of embedding sustainability into business and driving change. She holds a diploma in Health Economics from the University of Cologne.
Thank you: Monika Lessl, Former Executive Director, Bayer Foundation
Monika Lessl, Senior Vice President and Head of Corporate R&D and Social Innovation, and former Executive Director of the Bayer Foundation, has decided to retire after more than 30 years of dedicated service and outstanding contributions to Bayer.
Throughout her 30-year career at Bayer and Schering, Monika has held various leadership roles in innovation, sustainability, social engagement and partnerships.
Monika’s unparalleled network at the intersection of science and philanthropy has significantly amplified the Foundation’s impact in addressing global challenges. Under her leadership, key programs like the Women Empowerment Award and the Social Innovation Ecosystem Fund have been initiated. We are thankful for Monika’s work in the last five years as Executive Director and are happy that she will transition into a voluntary role as a of member Bayer Foundations’ Boards of Trustees.
Thank you - Andrea Acerbi, Former Vice President, Social Innovation
Andrea Acerbi, former Head of Corporate Giving and Social Innovation has decided to leave Bayer to pursue other opportunities. We thank Andrea for her contributions to the Bayer Foundation‘s social innovation program. She has shaped many of our partnerships in the Social Innovation Ecosystem Fund and the expansion of the Women Empowerment Award to Latin America. We wish Andrea the best in her future endeavors.
