The Supervisory Board of SGL Carbon SE decided in its meeting today to appoint Andreas Klein as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company with effect from January 1, 2025 and a term of three years. Furthermore, the Supervisory Board extended the contract of Thomas Dippold (CFO) by another five years. Dr. Stephan Bühler has also been appointed to the Board of Management of SGL Carbon SE for a term of two years starting January 1, 2025.
The supervisory board is thus reacting at an early stage to the announcement by CEO Dr. Torsten Derr that he will not extend his management contract, which expires in May 2025. At its meeting today, the supervisory board complied with Dr. Torsten Derr's request and agreed to an early termination of his management contract with effect from December 31, 2024. He will leave the company on December 31, 2024.
Andreas Klein, the future CEO, is Head of Graphite Solutions, SGL Carbon's largest business unit, since October 2023. He holds a degree in Business Administration and has extensive expertise in the areas of marketing and sales, strategy and supply chain, in addition to industry experience. Andreas Klein started his professional career at Bayer and Lanxess, where he held various management positions. In order to bring the Board of Management even closer to SGL Carbon's operations, Andreas Klein will remain CEO and head of the Graphite Solutions division.
“We are very pleased that we were able to win Andreas Klein, an experienced manager, for the position of CEO. He is very familiar with SGL Carbon's key markets and has gained deep insights into the company's structures and business units over the last 15 months,” said Prof. Dr. Frank Richter, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of SGL Carbon SE. ”With the contract extension of CFO Thomas Dippold and the appointment of Dr. Stephan Bühler as an additional member of the Board of Management, we ensure continuity and stability for SGL Carbon's further strategic direction. On behalf of the entire Supervisory Board, I wish the new Board of Management great success. We would like to express our particular gratitude to Dr. Torsten Derr for his achievements at SGL Carbon. In recent years, he has returned SGL Carbon to a path of profitable growth and set an important strategic course.”
Thomas Dippold, who holds a degree in Business Administration, has been Chief Financial Officer of SGL Carbon since October 2020. He began his professional career at HSBC Bank in London and Dusseldorf. After holding various commercial management positions in Germany and abroad, he was CFO at the listed transportation technology company Schaltbau Holding AG. Thomas Dippold has successfully accompanied the restructuring of SGL Carbon and ensured a solid financial basis for the company as a result of the financial restructuring of recent years.
Dr. Stephan Bühler has been with SGL Carbon for more than 10 years and is responsible for Legal, Compliance and Corporate Audit. He was already a member of the Board of Management of SGL Carbon from October 2019 to October 2020. Dr. Bühler, who holds a doctorate in law, began his career at the Bundesverband der Deutschen Banken (Association of German Banks) in Cologne and then spent 21 years at Siemens in various functions in the legal department. He gained extensive experience in the field of Mergers & Acquisitions. As a member of the Board of Management, he will be responsible for the implementation of the strategic options for the Carbon Fibers business unit, the company's legal and compliance matters, and for ESG.
With the appointment of Andreas Klein and Dr. Stephan Bühler and the contract prolongation of Thomas Dippold, the Board of Management of SGL Carbon SE will consist of three members as of January 1, 2025. With the internal succession for the position of CEO, the Supervisory Board is signaling continuity and stability in the strategic direction of SGL Carbon.
