Wolfgang Leitner (born 27 March 1953)
Early life
Leitner was born in 1953 in
Graz, Austria. His father was a metal worker at Andritz AG.
In 1978, Leitner received a doctorate in chemistry
from the University of Graz.
Career
After university Leitner worked in research for Vianova, an Austrian subsidiary of
Hoechst AG. In 1981, he started working as a management consultant for McKinsey. In 1986, he founded the pharmaceutical company
Genericon Pharma together with his former classmate Martin Bartenstein, who would later become a mininister in the Austrian government. Genericon Pharma’s Hungarian subsidiary Pharmavit achieved great success with effervescent tablets and
Generic drug.
In 1995, the company was bought by the US pharmaceutical group Bristol Myers Squibb for USD 110 million.
Leitner joined Andritz AG as chief financial officer in 1987. In 1994, he became chief executive officer.
Private life
Leitner is married, with two children, and lives in Graz, Austria.
Leitner made the 2024 Forbes Billionaires List with an estimated wealth of US$ 2.7 billion, the sixth richest in Austria and 1238th richest person in the world.
Honours
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2006: "Man of the Year" by Austrian business magazine Trend
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2015: Honorary Senator of the Graz University of Technology
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2022: Erzherzog-Johann-Award
