Essen. Germany. Christian Kullmann will remain Chief Executive Officer of Evonik until 2030. That’s what the Supervisory Board agreed to at an extraordinary meeting today. It also appointed Michael Rauch as new Chief Financial Officer for the chemical company. Both decisions were taken unanimously.
Kullmann has been with Evonik since 2003 and was appointed Chief Strategy Officer in 2014. He has been heading the Management Board since May 2017. The Supervisory Board will formally extend Kullmann's contract at its regular meeting on June 3, the day of the company’s Annual General Meeting.
"Christian Kullmann stands for stability and continuity in challenging times," says Supervisory Board Chairman Bernd Tönjes. "He has steered Evonik through difficult waters in recent years. The supervisory board is counting on the Executive Board to keep the course and continue to make Evonik fit for the future."
"I know and appreciate Christian Kullmann as a tough and open negotiating partner," says Alexander Bercht, Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board. "We don't agree on all issues, but once we have agreed, you can fully rely on him. He is politically experienced and always open for debate, which is worth a lot, especially in these times."
Rauch knows the chemical industry from his 16 years at Henkel, the German maker of adhesives, sealants and coatings, where he held various strategy and finance positions in Germany, Sweden and China. He also has extensive experience serving the capital markets. Most recently, Rauch, who holds an MBA, was at the helm of Swiss vending machine operator Selecta AG as interim CEO. Prior to that, he worked for five years at Germany’s CompuGroup Medical, first as Chief Financial Officer and later as Chief Executive Officer. At the perfumery retailer Douglas, Rauch served as CFO for two years.
“In Michael Rauch, Evonik has found a CFO who has a great deal of experience with transformation,” says Tönjes: "We are convinced that he combines the best qualities overall to make Evonik even more weatherproof in a volatile market environment through resilient financial management. With a strong CEO at the helm and an excellent Executive Board overall, Evonik can tackle with full force the goals it has set."
Kullmann has also served as CFO on an interim basis since September. "In personal conversations, I have gained a very good impression of Michael Rauch," he says. "We have major challenges to overcome and need a crisis-proof, experienced executive like him. At the same time, a heartfelt thank you goes to Dr. Claus Rettig, who has been performing the operational tasks in the Finance Department since September."
In the future, Rettig will again fully concentrate on his role as head of the region Asia-Pacific.
Rauch will start at Evonik on May 1. He will introduce himself personally to Evonik's shareholders at the Annual Shareholders Meeting.