2013 – 150 Years of Bayer

A Party All Over the World

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To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Bayer, numerous events focusing on employees take place around the world - multi-facetted and international: a birthday menu for all employees, a Bayer airship traveling around the globe, personal stories from employees and a song going around the world. Here are the highlights of the anniversary year.

150 years of Bayer: Our history at a glance

On World Tour with the Bayer Airship

On a long journey: an airship with the Bayer cross and mission statement in large lettering was heading for destinations in many parts of the world in 2013. It has been seen for the first time at the Financial News Conference. The Bayer Airship has visited some of the world's greatest cities in the company's anniversary year, for instance: Sydney, New York, Barcelona and Johannesburg.

The Bayer Airship ballooned in Barcelona, Spain’s second largest town, in July.
On world tour in the US: The Bayer Airship reached the ?Big Apple“, New York City …
… and passed the famous Statue of Liberty.
The Bayer Airship is traveling to the world’s great cities in the company’s anniversary year.
The Bayer Airship floated right over famous Pyramid of the Moon in the ruined city of Teotihuacán in Mexico.
The Mexico tour continues – from Teotihuacán to Acapulco.
In Soweto, the airship took off with impressive works of art in the background.
The first destination of the Bayer Airship world tour was Sydney in Australia.
The Bayer Airship is traveling throughout the world in celebration of 150 Years of Bayer. It has been seen for the first time in February in Leverkusen.
The Bayer Airship stopped in Johannesburg and Soweto, South Africa.
The Bayer Airship ballooned in Barcelona, Spain’s second largest town, in July.
On world tour in the US: The Bayer Airship reached the ?Big Apple“, New York City …
… and passed the famous Statue of Liberty.
The Bayer Airship is traveling to the world’s great cities in the company’s anniversary year.
The Bayer Airship floated right over famous Pyramid of the Moon in the ruined city of Teotihuacán in Mexico.
The Mexico tour continues – from Teotihuacán to Acapulco.
In Soweto, the airship took off with impressive works of art in the background.
The first destination of the Bayer Airship world tour was Sydney in Australia.
The Bayer Airship is traveling throughout the world in celebration of 150 Years of Bayer. It has been seen for the first time in February in Leverkusen.
The Bayer Airship stopped in Johannesburg and Soweto, South Africa.

World Tour of the Bayer Airship  

From the plains of South Africa to the Statue of Liberty in New York, from the foot of Mount Fuji to the Sugarloaf Mountain in Rio de Janeiro: On its travels, the airship carried the company mission "Bayer: Science For A Better Life" to enthusiastic spectators around the world. On the way, it took to the skies over major cities and many famous landmarks. All of them are now brought together in one video showing some of the highlights of a memorable tour.

Experience the “Better Life”

Bayer on the road in 2013: to mark the 150th anniversary of Bayer, an interactive exhibition showing how the company has improved the quality of life for millions of people around the world visited some 30 sites in Europe, America, Asia, Africa and Australia. Bayer has chosen a highly creative way to portray these subjects. The Anniversary Tour brings to life the company mission, “Science For A Better Life.” The exhibition focused on the topics of health care, agriculture and high-performance materials.

The Anniversary Tour was presented in the museum “Museo de las Ciencias de la UNAM“ in Mexico City.
Employees and the general public had the possibility to visit the Anniversary Tour.
Markus Arnold, Senior Bayer Representative Benelux and the Flemish Minister President Kris Peeters inaugurated the exhibition.
Oncology – Cancer Treatment – was one of the topics of the Anniversary Tour.
Bayer′s anniversary tour gave a fascinating and informative insight into how research and science enrich our daily lives.
The Anniversary Tour was also presented at the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting in the Cologne Exhibition Center.
Learning about renewable energy
Something special: when the screen was touched, the whole case starts shaking.
Families discovered the varied interactive exhibits of the Anniversary Tour in Lyon, France.
Press a button to discover where neglected tropical diseases are to be found.
A simplified version of the blood clotting cascade demonstrated at which point Factor VIII needs to be added.
The interactive exhibition was a massive experience for more than 3,000 visitors.

An exhibition that elicits curiosity: The multimedia traveling exhibition combines both playful and informative elements to bring the contents on show to life. Participation is expressly encouraged in this interactive exhibition. The exhibition comprises 22 boxes a good two meters high. Each one is dedicated to an oversized letter. Together they spell out Bayer’s mission: “Science For A Better Life.” Each letter also refers to a specific Bayer topic, ranging from A as in Aspirin?, to E as in energy-efficient mobility, and S as in science.

Best-Of Anniversary Tour 2013 of Bayer

The traveling exhibition tour kicked off in Leverkusen on February 28, 2013, the day of the Spring Financial News Conference. The guests were able to directly experience the Anniversary Tour in the foyer of the Baykomm Communication Center. The exhibition remained in Leverkusen for a few days and has now been packed into containers to depart on its world tour together with a second, identical traveling exhibition. It has been designed to give employees and other selected visitors around the world an opportunity to experience the concrete contribution that Bayer makes to A Better Life.

150 Years of Bayer: Pop Song for a Good Cause

As part of the activities to celebrate the foundation of Bayer, employees from 50 countries have recorded the song entitled “A Better Life.” This has been so positively received that the song has been marketed externally – in keeping with the company’s mission of “Bayer: Science For A Better Life”, because all proceeds were going and still go to the United Nations Foundation program "Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves.”

To raise funds for the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, Bayer is making “A Better Life” available for purchase worldwide on all well-known music download platforms.

All proceeds from online sales (after deduction of broadcasting and royalty fees) will benefit the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, an initiative led by the United Nations Foundation.

Bayer Holds Official 150th Anniversary Celebration

Bayer AG officially celebrated the 150th anniversary of its foundation in 2013. More than 1,000 guests attended the event in Cologne, including numerous personalities from politics, business, science, society and the media along with customers and Bayer employees.

Guests of honor were German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel and North Rhine-Westphalian State Premier Hannelore Kraft. “The name Bayer has a permanent place in the history of German industry. 150 years of Bayer – congratulations," said Merkel in her address. Kraft commented: "Bayer is a prime example of a company working to ensure a better life and better health for millions of people.”

Employee Event: “We are Bayer”

The biggest birthday party in Bayer's history took place in the BayArena in Leverkusen at the end of June. Thousands of colleagues from all the Bayer sites in Germany celebrated "We Are Bayer!" - a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Bayer employees – with lots of audience participation, daring acrobatics, the largest living Bayer cross of all time and a world-class celebrity.

Collage of Employee Party 150 years Bayer

Around 30,000 guests celebrated the company's 150th anniversary together in the BayArena stadium. Employees, family members and retirees traveled to Leverkusen from all over Germany – and fired up the party mood right from the start. In high spirits, the participants celebrated a glittering party with a top-class program and about 1,500 volunteers from Bayer's athletic and cultural associations, who turned the celebration into a unique event with some great choreographies.

The climax of the afternoon event held to celebrate Bayer's foundation 150 years ago was when more than 30,000 people formed the largest-ever human Bayer cross. The celebration was a 'thank you' to all employees and their families.

My Bayer Story

Impressive moments, amusing experiences, strange occurrences: Employees all over the world submitted their personal Bayer experience under the heading “My Bayer Story”. A selection of these stories has been published in the anniversary year of 2013.

“Welcome to Bayer!“ – this sentence changed Ulku Karataban’s life. In her Bayer story, she explains how she got through the job interview although at first she could not speak a word of English. Her story is one of over 1,200 that employees have written to celebrate the company’s 150th anniversary.
Suzete Yamashiro had to give up her job as a dentist because she became seriously ill. After she recovered, she started looking for something new. It was then that she discovered Bayer. In her story, she explains how this changed her life. It is one of over 1,200 stories that employees have written to celebrate Bayer's 150th anniversary. During the anniversary year, we will be publishing one of these stories every week.
In the 1980s there was still no therapy on the horizon for Multiple Sclerosis. Bayer employee Jackie Napier, who was working in clinical neurology at that time, felt helpless when patients asked her about treatment. How that changed is what her Bayer story is about. It is one of over 1,200 stories that employees have written to celebrate the company’s 150th anniversary.
Rahimdad Khan discovered a war-torn country when he went to Afghanistan for Bayer HealthCare in 2002. At the same time, he found that the people there had a great sense of trust in Bayer. He tells us about this in his Bayer story. It is one of over 1,200 stories that employees have written to celebrate Bayer's 150th anniversary. During the anniversary year, we are publishing one of these stories every week.
Raelene Antao is happy at Bayer Crop Science in India. In her “Bayer Story”, she explains why she is proud to work for Bayer. Her story is one of over 1,200 that employees have written to celebrate the company's 150th anniversary.

The Bayer Collection

“From Beckmann to Warhol. 20th and 21st century art. The Bayer Collection.” This was the title of an exhibition in Berlin’s Gropius-Bau from March 22 to June 9, 2013. Some 240 works by 89 artists were on display, 50,000 people with an interest in art had the opportunity to see it.

Bayer exhibition at Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin

Art at work

At the “Bayer Artothek” all employees can choose art pieces for their offices and conference rooms.

To mark the company's 150th anniversary in 2013, Bayer AG showed the most important works from its own art collection in the German capital. The exhibition “From Beckmann to Warhol – Art of the 20th and 21st centuries – the Bayer Collection” in the Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin featured works by major artists, including Gerhard Richter, Max Beckmann, Andy Warhol and Pablo Picasso.

The Bayer Collection is one of the oldest collections by a company in Germany. An exhibition entitled “From Beckmann to Warhol” comprising of a selection of 240 of the most important works was opened on Thursday, March 21, 2013 at the Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin.
Max Beckmann, Still Life with Orchids and Green Bowl, 1943, Oil on canvas. (Copyright: VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2013).
Martin Schuster, The Time Has Come, 2009, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 180 x 252 cm, (Copyright: ? Martin Schuster).
Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Still life with Bellflowers in front of Mask, 1943, Watercolour, 48 x 68 cm, (Copyright: ? VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2013).
Jan Voss, Details, 1996, Mixed Media on canvas, 130 x 195 cm, (Copyright: ? VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2013).
Sam Francis, Heart Stone, 1963, Lithographie, 49/65, 62,2 x 90,2 cm, (Copyright: ? Sam Francis Foundation, California / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2013).
From March 22 to June 9, 2013, people with an interest in art had the opportunity to see "The Bayer Collection" in Berlin.
The artists whose works were on display in the Martin-Gropius-Bau from March 21 to June 9, could hardly be more famous.
The Bayer Collection is one of the oldest collections by a company in Germany. An exhibition entitled “From Beckmann to Warhol” comprising of a selection of 240 of the most important works was opened on Thursday, March 21, 2013 at the Martin-Gropius-Bau in Berlin.
Max Beckmann, Still Life with Orchids and Green Bowl, 1943, Oil on canvas. (Copyright: VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2013).
Martin Schuster, The Time Has Come, 2009, Oil and acrylic on canvas, 180 x 252 cm, (Copyright: ? Martin Schuster).
Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Still life with Bellflowers in front of Mask, 1943, Watercolour, 48 x 68 cm, (Copyright: ? VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2013).
Jan Voss, Details, 1996, Mixed Media on canvas, 130 x 195 cm, (Copyright: ? VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2013).
Sam Francis, Heart Stone, 1963, Lithographie, 49/65, 62,2 x 90,2 cm, (Copyright: ? Sam Francis Foundation, California / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2013).
From March 22 to June 9, 2013, people with an interest in art had the opportunity to see "The Bayer Collection" in Berlin.
The artists whose works were on display in the Martin-Gropius-Bau from March 21 to June 9, could hardly be more famous.

With 240 key pieces selected from the 2,000 works in the Bayer Collection, the exhibition showcased the work of a total of 89 artists.

Symposium on “Science For A Better Life”

Around 380 scientists from 14 countries participated in a “Science For A Better Life” symposium in Leverkusen. The intention was to strengthen and extend Bayer's partnerships and networks with universities and research institutes.

A better future through good research

The scientists came from over 60 universities and research institutes as well as from 15 Bayer research sites. Topics being discussed at the one-and-a-half day event included results from cardiovascular research into thrombosis and pulmonary hypertension in addition to therapies for cancer.

Another focus has been on new strategies in agriculture for more efficient plants and seeds with improved traits. Also under discussion were new concepts for industrial light-guiding and lightweight materials for industrial applications.