Carsten Knobel has been appointed chief executive officer (CEO) of Henkel effective January 1, 2020. He succeeds Hans Van Bylen who, for personal reasons, will not be available for a further term after about 35 years with the company, including about 15 years on the Management Board and 4 years as its CEO. Since September 2018, Hans Van Bylen has also been President of the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI), Vice President of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), and is a member of the Board of Directors of the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF).
Carsten Knobel, born in Marburg, Germany, in 1969, studied business administration and technical chemistry at the Technical University of Berlin, Germany, he started his career at Henkel in 1995 as an assistant to the Management Board member, responsible for research and development. He then moved to the Beauty Care business unit, where he held various positions of increasing responsibility in controlling, Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and the operating businesses. Following his roles as Head of Corporate Strategy & Controlling and Financial Director of the Beauty Care unit, he was appointed Chief Financial Officer (CFO) in 2012.
Carsten Knobel is also a member of the Supervisory Board of Lufthansa and Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Bundesliga Soccer Club Fortuna Düsseldorf.
- Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, Düsseldorf-Holthausen, Germany
