Gerald started his commercial career at Agfa-Gevaert, Munich, having obtained a PhD from the Technical University in Darmstadt, Germany, rising through the ranks to be President of Agfa Matrix Division at Agfa Corporation, USA and elected to the Agfa-Gevaert, Inc board. He then joined the Diagnostic Systems Business Group of Bayer Corporation as Senior Vice-President leading, the worldwide Laboratory Testing Segment. On retiring from Bayer, he transferred his experience to the Company by developing a 15-year strategy for the diagnostics group. Since leaving Bayer in 2002, Gerald has had great success as a consultant to a number of companies and organizations, providing international project management, automation and materials management, and long-term strategy expertise.