LANXESS appoints new CEO for Greater China

LANXESS has appointed Michael Rockel as the new CEO for LANXESS Greater China. He will begin his new assignment on July 1, 2023. Photo: LANXESS

Shanghai, June 28, 2023 – LANXESS has appointed Michael Rockel, the former Head of Marketing & Sales China at the LANXESS High Performance Materials business unit (now Envalior), as the new CEO for LANXESS Greater China. He will begin his new assignment on July 1, 2023.

Rockel succeeds Ming Cheng Chien, who will continue as President of the APAC region until his retirement at the end of December 2023. Chien has had a significant impact during his more than 15 years of service at LANXESS. He joined the company as the Managing Director of LANXESS Buna GmbH in Marl, Germany in 2008. In 2013, he relocated to Shanghai to serve as CEO of LANXESS Greater China. In 2018, Chien was appointed to lead the newly established APAC region.

“On behalf of the entire Board of Management, I would like to thank Ming Cheng Chien for his excellent work during his years at LANXESS and wish him all the best for the new phase of his life,” said Dr. Anno Borkowsky, member of the Board of Management. Dr. Hubert Fink, fellow Board of Management member, said, “We would also like to thank Michael Rockel for his outstanding work to date and wish him every success in his new role.”

Rockel brings a wealth of industry knowledge and experience to his new assignment. After completing a trainee program at Bayer AG and his business studies at Essen University of Applied Sciences and the University of Bradford in England, he began his career at LANXESS as a Business Development Manager in the Liquid Purification Technologies business unit.

Over his 23 years of service with the company, he has held a variety of roles, including Assistant to the LANXESS Board of Management, Marketing Manager for the former Butyl Rubber business unit, and regional director for the Asian business of the former Tire and Specialty Rubbers business unit. In 2019, Rockel took on additional responsibility as the company's general manager for the production site in Wuxi, China. Working first in Singapore from 2010 and then in China since 2011, his deep understanding of the company and Asian and Chinese market dynamics makes him well-suited for the challenges and opportunities of his new role.

About LANXESS

LANXESS is a leading specialty chemicals company with sales of EUR 8.1 billion in 2022. The company currently has about 13,200 employees in 33 countries. The core business of LANXESS is the development, manufacturing and marketing of chemical intermediates, additives and consumer protection products. LANXESS is listed in the leading sustainability indices Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI World and Europe) and FTSE4Good.

LANXESS China

On January 31, 2005, the company was initially listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and LANXESS Chemical (China) Co., Ltd. officially started operations. LANXESS now has 13 subsidiaries, 5 R&D centers and 5 production sites in Greater China. LANXESS works closely with its local partners to develop market-oriented solutions that meet local market needs.

Forward-Looking Statements

This company release contains certain forward-looking statements, including assumptions, opinions, expectations and views of the company or cited from third party sources. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could cause the actual results, financial position, development or performance of LANXESS AG to differ materially from the estimations expressed or implied herein. LANXESS AG does not guarantee that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors, nor does it accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the opinions expressed in this presentation or the actual occurrence of the forecast developments. No representation or warranty (expressed or implied) is made as to, and no reliance should be placed on, any information, estimates, targets and opinions, contained herein, and no liability whatsoever is accepted as to any errors, omissions or misstatements contained herein, and accordingly, no representative of LANXESS AG or any of its affiliated companies or any of such person's officers, directors or employees accept any liability whatsoever arising directly or indirectly from the use of this document.

Information for editors:

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