People: Brenntag appoints ex-Clariant exec as CEO

Essen, Germany – Brenntag AG has appointed Christian Kohlpaintner as the company’s chief executive officer, effective 1 Jan 2020, the German distributor announced 26 Sept.

Kohlpaintner joins Brenntag from Swiss chemicals company Clariant International Ltd. where he was member of the executive committee until June.

He will succeed Steven Holland, who led the company as CEO for eight years and is leaving Brenntag at the turn of the year.

“With Christian Kohlpaintner we have been able to place as our new CEO an internationally experienced business leader with a proven track record,” said Stefan Zuschke, chairman of the supervisory board of Brenntag AG.

Kohlpainter has been tasked with leading Brenntag to sustainable growth and expanding the company’s market leadership.

“It [his role] will also be about breaking new ground while at the same time preserving the core of the successful business model,” Zuschke added.

Kohlpaintner, 55, holds a PhD in chemistry and has more than 20 years of management experience in an international environment.

He began his professional career at Hoechst, where he held various positions in Germany and the US.

He also served as Celanese marketing director and as VP for innovations, before joining Fabrik Budenheim in 2003, where his last position was the CEO.

In 2009, Kohlpaintner joined Clariant in Switzerland, where he served as a member of the executive committee and most recently was based in China to drive growth in the region.