ESMT Insight Hour with Matthias Geselle

Ctrl + Alt + Reboot: Lessons from Merck’s IT transformation 

November 26, 2025, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. CET
ESMT Berlin, Schlossplatz 1, 10178 Berlin

and via livestream 

This event will take place on campus and online. To attend, please register using the form below.

When the biggest unit in Group IT wasn’t meeting expectations on compliance, transparency, or business orientation, the leadership at Merck KGaA called for sweeping change. But just as the transformation kicked off, a company-wide restructuring significantly raised the stakes. 

The core challenge? Rebuild the system without interrupting operations. 

In this ESMT Insight Hour, Matthias Geselle, senior vice president and global head of IT at Merck, shares how his team pulled off a bold IT reboot while keeping operations stable and secure. You'll learn how he led a three-phase transformation that delivered real savings, improved performance, and kept people engaged, all while supporting company-wide change.

You’ll gain insight into: 

• Balancing legacy systems with the need for innovation 

• Meeting compliance requirements without slowing down 

• Leading change while keeping your team motivated and aligned 
   

Join us to find out what it really takes to transform IT without breaking the system. 

Moderated by Nan Guo, Chief Digital Officer, ESMT Berlin.

About the speaker

Matthias Geselle is Senior Vice President and Global Head of IT at Merck KGaA. With more than 20 years of executive IT leadership, he oversees global IT services across the three Business Sectors of Merck, supporting 63,000 employees in over 60 countries. His responsibility includes IT Infrastructure Technology, Global ERP as well as Application Management for core IT platforms. He leads a team of more than 1,200 professionals and manages a budget of approximately €450 million. 

Before assuming his current role, Geselle served for six years as sector CIO for Merck’s Business Sector Electronics, where he led global transformation initiatives and supported major M&A activities. His career includes international leadership positions in data management, business process strategy, and regional IT—most notably during a three-year assignment in the United States, where he built and scaled Merck’s North American IT organization. 

Throughout his career, Geselle has focused on delivering reliable, scalable technology foundations while accelerating innovation and digital collaboration in complex, regulated environments. 
 

About the moderator

Nan Guo is the Chief Digital Officer at ESMT Berlin, where she drives digital transformation to grow people and organizations, making learning impactful and human-centered.