The Germany company, said in a statement on Monday that Ubben would be one of three new entrants to the nine-member council, which meets with members of Bayer's management board twice a year.

Bayer's shares have been weighed down by litigation over its weedkiller Roundup and by its diversified structure, drawing investors' criticism.

On Feb. 8, Bayer said it would replace its CEO early after a selection process that began in mid-2022, recruiting the former head of Roche's pharmaceuticals business, Bill Anderson.

Days before the announcement on the CEO changeover, sources told Reuters that Ubben, who runs fund Inclusive Capital, had contacted fellow investors to drum up support for big changes at Bayer, including the swift replacement of outgoing CEO Werner Baumann.

Ubben holds a 0.83% stake in Bayer.

(Reporting by Ludwig Burger, Editing by Friederike Heine and Paul Carrel)

By Ludwig Burger