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Internal Key Messages & FAQ
KEY MESSAGES
QIAGEN has agreed to be acquired by EQT Private Equity, marking an important milestone.
| · | The agreement follows a comprehensive review of QIAGEN's strategic options and discussions with strategic and financial parties. |
| · | The Supervisory Board and Managing Board unanimously support the transaction and concluded that it is the best path forward for QIAGEN. |
QIAGEN will continue to be QIAGEN.
| · | Once the transaction has been completed, we will continue under the QIAGEN name and brand. |
| · | An important part of our agreement with EQT is a set of commitments intended to provide continuity in the areas that matter to QIAGEN and our people. |
| · | These include our strategy, key brands, operational footprint, R&D activities and employee arrangements. |
EQT shares our belief in QIAGEN’s long-term potential.
| · | EQT is a global investment organization based in Sweden with deep healthcare and life sciences experience and a long-term investment approach. |
| · | EQT also shares our belief in the importance of investing to realize QIAGEN’s potential. |
Private ownership can give QIAGEN a longer-term focus that better matches the needs of our business.
| · | It can give us greater flexibility to invest in the opportunities that matter most, move faster and grow QIAGEN over the long term. |
| · | That can help us do more for customers, accelerate innovation and build on the strengths of QIAGEN. |
| · | Growth can also create more opportunities for our people to take on leadership roles and to help shape the future of QIAGEN. |
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For employees, nothing changes today in how we work and serve customers.
| · | We will continue working with the same teams, managers and priorities. |
| · | Our commitment to customers, quality standards, regulatory responsibilities and ways of working stay the same. |
| · | The transaction is expected to close in mid-2027, subject to the offer conditions and required regulatory approvals. |
| · | Until then, QIAGEN remains an independent, publicly listed company. |
Our focus now is clear: serve customers, launch new products, make good decisions and keep improving the business.
| · | Our ownership may change, but our motivation for what we do every day remains strong: Making Improvements in Life Possible. |
| · | We will keep employees updated as the transaction moves forward and decisions are made. |
EMPLOYEE FAQ
1. What has QIAGEN announced?
| · | QIAGEN has agreed to be acquired by EQT, a global investment firm with deep healthcare and life sciences experience and a long-term investment approach. |
| · | The transaction is unanimously supported by QIAGEN’s Supervisory Board and Managing Board. |
| · | The agreed offer price is €46.50 in cash for each QIAGEN share. |
| · | The transaction is expected to close in mid-2027, subject to the offer conditions and required regulatory approvals. |
| · | After completion, QIAGEN is expected to become privately owned and its shares will no longer trade on the New York and Frankfurt stock exchanges. |
2. Why is QIAGEN doing this?
| · | After a comprehensive review of QIAGEN's strategic options and discussions with strategic and financial parties, the Supervisory Board and Managing unanimously concluded that it is the best path forward for QIAGEN and support the transaction. |
| · | The review considered a range of alternatives including remaining an independent public company and determined that private ownership can give QIAGEN a longer-term focus that better matches the needs of our business. |
| · | Private ownership can give QIAGEN a longer-term focus that better matches the needs of our business. |
| · | It can give us greater flexibility to invest in the opportunities that matter most, move faster and grow QIAGEN over the long term. |
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3. What changes for me now?
| · | Nothing changes in your day-to-day work because of today’s announcement. |
| · | You will continue working with the same manager, team and priorities. |
| · | Our commitment to customers, quality standards, regulatory responsibilities, approval processes and ways of working stay the same. |
4. Is my job secure?
| · | Today’s announcement does not change anyone’s employment. |
| · | EQT has agreed to a set of commitments intended to provide continuity in areas that matter to QIAGEN and our people, including employee arrangements. |
| · | If future decisions affect employees, we will communicate them clearly and follow applicable local consultation requirements. |
5. What happens to my salary, bonus and benefits?
| · | Today’s announcement does not change your salary, bonus or benefits. |
| · | Existing compensation and benefit programs continue as they do today. |
| · | If anything changes in the future, employees will be informed directly. |
| · | Equity Awards are covered separately under question 19. |
6. Will there be changes to the organization or reporting lines?
| · | No organizational or reporting line changes are being announced today. |
| · | You will continue working with your current manager and team. |
| · | Any future changes will be communicated when decisions are made. |
7. What opportunities could this create for employees?
| · | Growth can also create more opportunities for our people to take on bigger challenges, develop their careers, lead and help shape the future of QIAGEN. |
| · | Private ownership can give QIAGEN greater flexibility to invest in growth and innovation and move faster. |
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8. Who is EQT?
| · | EQT is a global investment organization based in Sweden with deep healthcare and life sciences experience and a long-term investment approach. |
| · | Current and former EQT portfolio companies include SPT Labtech, Galderma, Parexel, Aldevron, Dako and HemoCue. |
9. Why is EQT the right owner for QIAGEN?
| · | EQT shares our belief in QIAGEN’s long-term potential and the importance of investing to realize our full potential. |
| · | Under EQT's ownership, QIAGEN can have a longer-term focus that better matches the needs of our business, with greater flexibility to invest in the opportunities that matter most, move faster, do more for customers and grow QIAGEN over the long term. |
10. What does becoming a private company mean?
| · | QIAGEN will be owned by EQT rather than public shareholders and it shares would no longer be listed on the New York or Frankfurt stock exchanges. |
| · | Private ownership gives QIAGEN greater flexibility to invest for the long term, move faster and put resources behind the opportunities that matter most. |
| · | Our standards for quality, regulatory compliance and integrity do not change. |
11. What happens to the QIAGEN name, brand and sites?
| · | QIAGEN will continue to be QIAGEN. |
| · | Once the transaction has been completed, QIAGEN will continue under the QIAGEN name and brand. |
| · | An important part of our agreement with EQT is a set of commitments intended to provide continuity in the areas that matter to QIAGEN and our people, including our strategy, key brands, operational footprint, R&D activities and employee arrangements. |
12. Will QIAGEN’s strategy change?
| · | No new strategy is being announced as part of today's transaction announcement. |
| · | Private ownership can give QIAGEN a longer-term focus and greater flexibility to invest behind the opportunities that matter most. |
| · | EQT has agreed to commitments designed to support QIAGEN's long-term development, including its strategy, key brands, operational footprint, R&D activities and employee arrangements. |
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13. What does this mean for our customers?
| · | Our commitment to customers does not change. |
| · | Existing contracts, orders and points of contact remain in place. |
| · | Customers should continue to receive the products, quality, service and support they expect from QIAGEN. |
| · | Private ownership can give QIAGEN greater flexibility to invest in innovation, move faster and do more for customers. |
14. What does this mean for suppliers, distributors and other partners?
| · | They should continue working with QIAGEN as they do today. |
| · | Existing agreements, commitments and points of contact remain in place. |
| · | QIAGEN teams will contact key partners directly where appropriate. |
15. What happens next, and when is the transaction expected to close?
| · | The transaction is expected to close in mid-2027, subject to the offer conditions and required regulatory approvals. |
| · | Employees will be updated as important milestones are reached. |
16. Can I start working directly with EQT?
| · | Until closing, the two companies remain independent, so please only engage with the investor if you’ve been asked to as part of an approved process. |
| · | Do not share confidential QIAGEN information outside approved processes. |
| · | If someone from EQT contacts you and you are unsure what to do, speak with your manager. |
17. Can I talk about the transaction outside QIAGEN or on social media?
| · | Please stick to information QIAGEN has already made public. |
| · | Do not speculate about matters that have not been announced. |
| · | Do not share confidential or non-public information. |
| · | Send media inquiries to Corporate Communications at pr@qiagen.com and investor / analyst inquiries to Investor Relations at ir@qiagen.com |
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18. How will employees be kept informed?
| · | We will keep employees updated as decisions are made. |
| · | Emails, QIAverse and Viva Engage will be the main sources for employee updates, FAQs and other transaction information. |
| · | We will be clear about what has been decided and what has not. |
19. What happens to my QIAGEN shares and equity awards?
| · | We will share more details when we are able to do so based on the agreements. |
| · | How awards are treated at closing will be set out in the transaction agreement and details will follow shortly. |
| · | As for today, nothing changes. Outstanding awards remain in place and continue to vest on their existing terms until closing. |
| · | The insider trading policy and trading windows still apply. |
20. What happens to the various QIAGEN sites?
| · | EQT has agreed to commitments covering QIAGEN's operational footprint. |
| · | If future decisions affect individual sites, we will communicate them directly to the employees involved. |
21. What should I focus on now?
| · | Our ownership may change, but our motivation for what we do every day remains strong: Making Improvements in Life Possible. |
| · | Keep serving customers and delivering on our commitments. |
| · | Keep advancing innovation and looking for ways to make QIAGEN stronger. |
| · | Keep meeting our quality, regulatory and compliance standards. |
| · | Keep making good decisions and improving the business. |
| · | What we do now will help shape the future of QIAGEN. |
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Forward-looking statements
Certain statements contained in this communication may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (“Securities Act”), and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “believe”, “hope”, “plan”, “intend”, “seek”, “may”, “will”, “could”, “should”, “would”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “continue”, “target” or other similar words. To the extent that any of the statements contained herein relating to QIAGEN N.V.’s (“QIAGEN”) products, timing for launch and development, marketing and/or regulatory approvals, financial and operational outlook, growth and expansion, acquisitions, collaborations, markets, strategy or operating results, including without limitation its expected net sales, net sales of particular products, net sales in particular geographies, adjusted net sales, expansion of adjusted operating income margin, returns to shareholders, progressive dividend payments, product portfolio management, product launches (including anticipated launches of our sequencing solutions, testing platforms, panels and systems), leveraging AI technology, improvements in operating and financial leverage, currency movements against the U.S. dollar, plans for investment in our portfolio and share repurchase commitments, our expectations relating to our adjusted tax rate, debt maturity and repayment, our ability to grow adjusted earnings per share at a greater rate than sales, our ability to improve operating efficiencies and maintain disciplined capital allocation, are forward-looking, such statements are based on current expectations and assumptions that involve a number of uncertainties and risks. These include, but are not limited to, risks associated with our dependence on the development and success of new products; management of growth and expansion of operations (including the effects of currency fluctuations, tariffs, tax laws, regulatory processes and supply chain dependencies); variability of operating results; integration of acquired businesses; changes in relationships with customers, suppliers and strategic partners; competition; rapid or unexpected changes in technologies; fluctuations in demand for QIAGEN’s products (including fluctuations due to general economic conditions, the level and timing of customers’ funding, budgets and other factors, including delays or limits in the amount of reimbursement approvals or public health funding); our ability to obtain and maintain product regulatory approvals; difficulties in successfully adapting QIAGEN’s products to integrated solutions and producing such products; the ability of QIAGEN to identify and develop new products and to differentiate and protect our products from competitors’ products; market acceptance of new products and the integration of acquired technologies and businesses; actions of governments, global or regional economic developments, including inflation and changing interest rates, weather or transportation delays, natural disasters, cyber security breaches, political or public health crises and the resulting impact on the demand for our products and other aspects of our business, or other force majeure events; litigation risk, including patent litigation and product liability; debt service obligations; volatility in the public trading price of our common shares; as well as the possibility that expected benefits related to recent or pending acquisitions may not materialize as expected; and the other factors discussed under the heading “Risk Factors” in QIAGEN’s most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F. For further information, please refer to QIAGEN’s filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).
The forward-looking statements in this communication also include statements relating to the tender offer. Additional important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements include risks and uncertainties relating to: the proposed transaction not being timely completed, if completed at all; uncertainties as to the number of QIAGEN ordinary shares that will be tendered in the tender offer; the possibility that competing offers will be made; the possibility that the conditions to the tender offer may not be satisfied or waived; the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the business combination agreement; the completion of the post-closing measures and implementation of the financing arrangements contemplated in connection with the tender offer; the receipt of, and any conditions associated with, any exemptive or other relief requested from the SEC in connection with the tender offer; regulatory approvals required for the transaction not being timely obtained, if obtained at all, or being obtained subject to conditions; prior to the completion of the transaction, QIAGEN’s business experiencing disruptions due to transaction-related uncertainty or other factors making it more difficult to maintain relationships with employees, customers, licensees, other business partners or governmental entities; difficulty retaining key employees; and the outcome of any legal proceedings related to the proposed transaction. The forward-looking statements contained in this communication speak only as of the date of this communication. Neither the Bidder, EQT Private Equity nor QIAGEN undertakes any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except to the extent required by applicable law.
Additional Information and Where to Find it
The tender offer referenced herein has not yet commenced. This communication is for informational purposes only and is neither an offer to purchase nor a solicitation of an offer to sell any ordinary shares of QIAGEN or any other securities, nor is it a substitute for the tender offer materials that the Bidder will file with the SEC and publish in Germany. The terms and conditions of the tender offer will be published in, and the offer to purchase ordinary shares of QIAGEN will be made only pursuant to, the Offer Document and related offer materials prepared by the Bidder and as approved by the German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht, “BaFin”). Once the necessary permission from BaFin has been obtained, the Offer Document and related offer materials will be published in Germany and also filed with the SEC in a tender offer statement on Schedule TO at the time the tender offer is commenced. QIAGEN intends to file a solicitation / recommendation statement on Schedule 14D-9 with the SEC with respect to the tender offer; in addition, QIAGEN will publish a document combining the recommendation statement pursuant to Section 27 of the German Securities Acquisition and Takeover Act (Wertpapiererwerbs- und Übernahmegesetz - “WpÜG”) and the position statement pursuant to Section 18 and Annex G of the Dutch Decree on public offers (Besluit openbare biedingen Wft). The Offer Document for the tender offer (in German and in English) containing the detailed terms and conditions of, and other information relating to, the tender offer will, among other things, be published on the internet at www.eqt-offer.com.
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Acceptance of the tender offer by shareholders that are resident outside Germany and outside of the United States may be subject to further legal requirements and/or restrictions. With respect to the acceptance of the tender offer outside Germany and outside of the United States, no responsibility is assumed for the compliance with such legal requirements applicable in the respective jurisdiction.
THE TENDER OFFER MATERIALS (INCLUDING AN OFFER TO PURCHASE, A RELATED LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL AND CERTAIN OTHER TENDER OFFER DOCUMENTS) AND THE SOLICITATION / RECOMMENDATION STATEMENT ON SCHEDULE 14D-9, AS THEY MAY BE AMENDED FROM TIME TO TIME, AS WELL AS QIAGEN’S RECOMMENDATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 27 WPÜG AND POSITION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 18 AND ANNEX G OF THE DUTCH DECREE ON PUBLIC OFFERS (Besluit openbare biedingen Wft) WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION. INVESTORS AND SHAREHOLDERS OF QIAGEN ARE URGED TO READ THESE DOCUMENTS CAREFULLY WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY, AND NOT THIS DOCUMENT, WILL GOVERN THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF THE TENDER OFFER, AND BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION THAT SUCH PERSONS SHOULD CONSIDER BEFORE MAKING ANY DECISION REGARDING TENDERING THEIR ORDINARY SHARES.
The tender offer materials, including the offer to purchase and the related letter of transmittal and certain other tender offer documents, and the solicitation/recommendation statement on Schedule 14D-9 (when they become available) and other documents filed with the SEC by the Bidder or QIAGEN, may be obtained free of charge at the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov or at the Bidder’s website at www.eqt-offer.com. In addition, the Bidder’s tender offer statement and other documents it will file with the SEC will be available at www.eqt-offer.com. Furthermore, copies of the Offer Document will also be available free of charge by contacting the information agent to be identified in the Offer Document.
Governing Law
The tender offer will be made and implemented under the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany, in particular the WpÜG, certain applicable provisions of the laws of the Netherlands and certain applicable provisions of the securities laws of the United States of America. Any agreement that is entered into as a result of accepting the tender offer will be exclusively governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany and is to be interpreted in accordance with such laws.
Acquisition of Shares Outside the Tender Offer
Each of EQT Private Equity and the Bidder reserves the right, within the limits of applicable law and subject to any exemptive relief from the SEC, to directly or indirectly acquire shares in QIAGEN outside of the tender offer, whether on or off the stock exchange. Any such purchases or arrangements will be made outside the United States and in compliance with applicable law and subject to any exemptive relief from the SEC. To the extent such acquisitions occur, information about them, including the number of, and the price for, the acquired shares in QIAGEN will be published without undue delay, if and to the extent required under the applicable statutory provisions.
Information in respect of EQT XI
Any information in respect of the EQT XI fund (“EQT XI”) contained herein does not constitute an offer to sell, nor a solicitation of an offer to buy, any security, and may not be used or relied upon in connection with any offer or solicitation of EQT XI. Any offer or solicitation in respect of EQT XI will be made only through a confidential private placement memorandum and related documents which will be furnished to qualified investors on a confidential basis in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Any securities of EQT XI referred to herein have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act and may not be offered or sold without registration thereunder or pursuant to an available exemption therefrom. Any offering of securities of EQT XI to be made in the United States would have to be made by means of an offering document that would be obtainable from the issuer or its agents and would contain detailed information about the issuer of the securities and its management, as well as financial information. Any EQT XI securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration.
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