PIR International supports appointment of Executive Chair at Dynamic42

PIR International recently partnered with Dynamic42 in appointing Wolfgang Kintzel as Executive Chair

Established in 2018, Dynamic42 is an innovative growth stage life science research tools company developing advanced three-dimensional organ-on-chip technology for preclinical research and development for the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and academic research sectors.

Headquartered in Jena, Germany, with a growing team of over 20 employees, Dynamic42 is leading development in novel human microphysiological systems and services which offer advancement over existing organ-on-chip offerings in the market today. Dynamic42 has built a customer base with revenues being generated from both its products and research services business across pharmaceutical and academia internationally.

In line with its business plan to drive its strategic entry into the US market and further scale the business commercially, Dynamic42’s Founders and Investors recognised the need for an Executive Chair with global commercial research tools experience and a track record of building successful businesses to help guide its next phase of growth.

To lead this important appointment, Dynamic42’s founders and investors, engaged PIR International, early in their exploration of thought around a board level leadership profile who could augment and work closely with the founding executive team, both strategically and tactically to commercially scale the business. PIR International’s team, led by Stuart Penney, Tom Bradley, and Nehal Sreedhar, provided early advisory guidance to shape the role and undertook a forensic international search yielding a highly curated shortlist of international board-level candidates.

Following a thorough evaluation and selection process, Dynamic42’s BoD appointed Wolfgang Kintzel as Executive Chair. Mr Kintzel brings over 30 years of experience in the life sciences industry, with deeply rooted leadership experience at board and executive level in the building of innovative research tools and instruments businesses on an international scale, in addition to a strong track record operating in venture capital, leading funds and deploying investment into life science and cleantech businesses.

Wolfgang’s appointment marks a significant milestone for Dynamic42 as it continues to commercially and operationally scale in its pursuit to become one of the world’s leading companies in organ-on-chip technology with focus on human in vitro infection/disease models.

Knut Rennert, Co-Founder and CEO, Dynamic42, said:

The collaboration with PIR International—especially with Stuart and Tom—was highly professional, structured, and cooperative from the outset. The team demonstrated a keen understanding of the needs and perspectives of founders/entrepreneurs, and investors alike. The search for an Executive Chair began with a precise briefing and clearly defined success criteria. On this basis, PIR conducted a thorough market analysis and targeted approach to potential candidates, quickly resulting in a compelling selection of experienced leaders. Particularly impressive was the care taken to assess not only qualifications and experience, but also cultural fit and team dynamics. Communication was consistently proactive, transparent, and on an equal footing—all milestones, feedback, and decision-making aids were delivered reliably and on time. Overall, I found the entire process to be very pleasant, efficient, and effective. The professionalism, attention to detail, and personal support provided by PIR International were outstanding. I can wholeheartedly recommend Stuart, Tom, and the team at PIR International and will gladly refer them to others.”

Stefan Jahn, Investor and Board Member, BM-T, said:

We partnered with PIR International to appoint an Executive Chair and experienced a disciplined, partner-led search that began with a precise brief and clearly defined success metrics. Building on that foundation, their rigorous market mapping and targeted outreach quickly surfaced a high-quality slate of seasoned board leaders. Throughout the process, communication was proactive as well as structured and milestones, candidate feedback, and decision support were delivered on schedule, keeping all stakeholders aligned. Crucially, culture and board dynamics were assessed with equal weight to track record, ensuring both strategic fit and potential impact. As a result, the final shortlist offered genuine choice and enabled a confident, timely appointment; on this basis, we would engage PIR again for future hires.

Wolfgang Kintzel, Executive Chair, Dynamic42, said:

PIR demonstrated a deep understanding of the biotech and life sciences ecosystem from the outset. Their approach combined scientific insight with a strong grasp of the leadership and commercial skills required to drive innovation in this sector. The process was conducted with professionalism, discretion, and clear strategic intent, making the experience both efficient and highly credible. I was impressed by the quality of the engagement and would strongly recommend them as a partner for executive and specialist searches in biotech.