Personnel changes on Lanxess’ Supervisory Board and Board of Management

Speciality chemicals company Lanxess has announced personnel changes on both the Supervisory Board and the Board of Management.

In its meeting on March 17, the Supervisory Board resolved to propose Lawrence A Rosen, member of the Board of Management of Deutsche Post AG, and Dr Matthias Wolfgruber, Chairman of the Management Board of Altana AG, to the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting on May 13, 2015, for election as members of the Supervisory Board. Supervisory Board members Rainer Laufs and Robert J Koehler will both be leaving the body upon expiration of their current terms of office.

Supervisory Board Chairman Dr Rolf Stomberg said: "Mr. Laufs and Mr Koehler are due the thanks of the entire company. They have significantly contributed to Lanxess having developed well within a decade. I am pleased that we have been able to attract two further proven experts as their successors. The work of the Lanxess Supervisory Board will be enhanced especially by Dr Wolfgruber’s experience as the CEO of a leading global speciality chemicals company and Mr Rosen’s international background and profound knowledge of the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.”

The Supervisory Board has also resolved to appoint Michael Pontzen as a member of the Board of Management effective April 1, 2015. He will assume the role of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at the speciality chemicals company. Pontzen currently heads Lanxess’ Corporate Controlling Group Function. He will succeed Dr Bernhard Düttmann, who is leaving the company effective March 31, 2015, to take on new career challenges. Düttmann has been Chief Financial Officer at LANXESS since 2011.

Dr Rolf Stomberg said: "We would like to thank Dr Düttmann for his outstanding work in the past years and wish him well on his future career path. In Michael Pontzen, we have appointed an experienced financial expert from within the company to be the CFO of Lanxess AG. The Supervisory Board wishes him every success in his new position.”

Matthias Zachert, Chairman of the Board of Management of Lanxess AG added: "I look forward to welcoming Michael Pontzen as a member of the Management Board team from April. He has worked for Lanxess since its establishment and has held leading functions in almost all of the company’s finance departments.”

Michael Pontzen was born in Mönchengladbach, Germany, in 1969. After studying business administration, he held various positions at Ferrostaal AG, MAN AG and EADS. He joined Lanxess in November 2004 as head of the Investor Relations Group Function. In October 2008, he became head of Corporate Finance within the Treasury Group Function. He additionally assumed responsibility for Risk and Cash Management from spring 2009. Pontzen has been head of the Corporate Controlling Group Function since January 2012.