Covestro CEO Steilemann replaces Christian Kullmann at the helm of the German Chemical Industry Association.

Dr. Markus Steilemann, CEO of Leverkusen-based plastics group Covestro, was elected at a VCI general meeting in Berlin on Thursday, the Frankfurt-based association announced. He thus succeeds by rotation the head of Essen-based specialty chemicals group Evonik, Christian Kullmann, who has now been confirmed as a member of the VCI presidium after his two-year term as VCI president, according to the statement. Steilemann (52), who holds a doctorate in chemistry and business administration, said of his election as the new VCI president: "I am taking up this office in times that have never been as serious and challenging for the German chemical industry as they are now. Our companies are innovation drivers and the backbone of the economy. But for months we have been working in crisis mode. No one can close their eyes any longer to the fact that even solidly managed companies have their backs to the wall, are cutting back or even shutting down production because of energy prices at an unprecedented record level." He emphasized: "If companies can no longer produce profitably, the consequences for our entire society are fatal. Only with a strong economy can we overcome the challenges facing our country - economically, ecologically and socially. That's what I'm working for in the next two years as VCI president." The focus at the moment, he said, is on overcoming the energy crisis and preserving Germany as an industrial location. Despite the threat of recession, the sustainable transformation of the industry remains a key issue. To stay on this course, however, Steilemann says it will take faster approval processes, internationally competitive gas and electricity prices, and huge amounts of affordable green electricity and hydrogen. He said he is calling on politicians in Germany and the EU to ensure the appropriate framework conditions are in place.

 

Sources:

• handelsblatt.de (Sep. 29, 2022)
• kunststoff-magazin.de (Sep. 30, 2022)
• Photo: © VCI