Consumer goods company Henkel has announced that finance chief Carsten Knobel will step in as its CEO on 1 January 2020.
He will succeed Hans Van Bylen, who has stepped down from the position citing personal reasons.
Knobel is an experienced professional who joined Henkel in 1995, and has been part of the company's management board since 2012.
He took up the role of the finance chief in 2012 and is responsible for finance, purchasing, and integrated business solutions.
'An Excellent Successor'
The chairwoman of Henkel's supervisory board and shareholders' committee, Dr Simone Bagel-Trah, said, "We have appointed an excellent successor from within the company. He knows Henkel very well and has many years of international management and leadership experience.
"He is highly regarded by his colleagues on the Management Board as well as by our employees and has also an excellent reputation in the capital markets."
Van Bylen spent almost 35 years in Henkel in various roles including 15 years on its management board and 4 years as the CEO.
Thanking Van Bylen on behalf of the committees, Dr Bagel-Trah, said, "Under the leadership of Hans Van Bylen, all business units were further strengthened through acquisitions and partnerships.
"He put particular emphasis on the digitalisation of the company in all areas, which he drove forward with great determination."
According to a recent media report, the company was looking for a successor after a string of disappointing results.
© 2019 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
