Press release
Corporate Press
September 22, 2009

Thomas Wessel appointed Chief Human Resources Officer of Evonik Degussa GmbH effective November 1, 2009

Change of personnel in the Chemicals Business Area

  • Thomas Wessel appointed Chief Human Resources Officer of Evonik Degussa GmbH effective November 1, 2009
  • Ralf Blauth, member of the Executive Board and Chief Human Resources Officer of Evonik Industries AG, is to relinquish his position on the Board of Management of Evonik Degussa GmbH as planned

The Supervisory Board of Evonik Degussa GmbH has appointed Thomas Wessel (46), currently Chairman of the Board of Management of RAG Bildung GmbH, to the Board of Management of Evonik Degussa GmbH as Chief Human Resources Officer effective November 1, 2009. He succeeds Ralf Blauth (58) who currently holds this position at Evonik Degussa GmbH in addition to his role as a member of the Executive Board and Chief Human Resources Officer of Evonik Industries AG. As planned, Ralf Blauth will relinquish his post on the Board of Management of Degussa Evonik GmbH on October 31, 2009, before the end of his original term of office. Ralf Blauth was appointed to the Executive Board of Evonik Industries AG as Chief Human Resources Officer with effect from July 1, 2009. Thomas Wessel will remain Chairman of the Board of Management of RAG Bildung GmbH until the end of 2009 in addition to his new post.

Dr. Klaus Engel, Chairman of the Executive Board of Evonik Industries AG and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Evonik Degussa GmbH, commented: “We are delighted that Mr. Wessel, an able and experienced human resources manager, has agreed to join the Board of Management of Evonik Degussa GmbH. He played an important role in integrating Degussa into the Evonik Group. Engel also thanked Ralf Blauth for his outstanding and successful work for the Chemicals Business Area over many years. “Ralf Blauth has been a key player in shaping the development of our chemicals business. On behalf of the Supervisory Board of Evonik Degussa GmbH, I would like to thank him for that.”

Thomas Wessel has been Chairman of the Board of Management of RAG Bildung GmbH since September 2006. Under his leadership, this company has been reorganized to make it more competitive. Wessel previously held a number of posts at the former RAG Aktiengesellschaft, including latterly Head of the Human Resources Division.

About Evonik

Evonik Industries is the creative industrial group from Germany which operates in three business areas: Chemicals, Energy and Real Estate. Evonik is a global leader in specialty chemicals, an expert in power generation from hard coal and renewable energies, and one of the largest private residential real estate companies in Germany. Our strengths are creativity, specialization, continuous self-renewal, and reliability. Evonik is active in over 100 countries around the world. In its fiscal year 2008 about 41,000 employees generated sales of about €15.9 billion and an operating profit (EBITDA) of about €2.2 billion.

Disclaimer

In so far as forecasts or expectations are expressed in this press release or where our statements concern the future, these forecasts, expectations or statements may involve known or unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results or developments may vary, depending on changes in the operating environment. Neither Evonik Industries AG nor its group companies assume an obligation to update the forecasts, expectations or statements contained in this release.