Wacker names new head of US business

Munich, Germany – Wacker Group’s head of research Christoph Kowitz has been named to head Wacker Chemical Corp., the US subsidiary of the German chemicals supplier.

Effective as of May, Kowitz will succeed David Wilhoit, who has been responsible for the group's North and Central America business since 2015 and is now retiring.

Kowitz previously headed the group's central research and development for six years, Wacker announced 16 April.

He holds a PhD in organic and polymer chemistry and has previously held a management position at Wacker’s silicones’ division.

In that position, he was in close contact with silicone production and application technology at the US locations in Adrian and Ann Arbor in the state of Michigan.

“The US is and remains one of Wacker’s most important markets,” said Kowitz commenting after his appointment.

My goal, the Wacker official added, is to make ‘optimal use’ of opportunities created by the US governments' support for the climate-neutral transformation of the country.

Kowitz started his professional career as a product developer at BASF AG in 1996 and moved on to work for various industry and consulting firms.

He joined Wacker in 2013 as head of performance silicones unit within the silicones division.

Since 2018, he has headed central corporate research and also innovation management in the Wacker Group.