Dr Stephan Glander appointed new CEO of Biesterfeld AG

14-Feb-2023 - Germany

With effect from 1 April 2023, the supervisory board of Biesterfeld AG has appointed Dr Stephan Glander (54) as CEO of the Biesterfeld Group, a leading international distributor of plastics, rubber and specialty chemicals. Glander takes over from Thomas Arnold (63), who is retiring after ten years with the family-owned company, including eight years as CEO.

Most recently, Stephan Glander served as CEO of BYK, a leading global supplier of specialty chemicals and a subsidiary of the Altana Group. At the family-owned Altana, he was a member of the Executive Management Committee. Prior to this, Glander – who holds a doctorate in chemistry – held a variety of management roles at international chemical producers and plastics processors, including Röchling, Quadrant (Mitsubishi Chemicals) and Bayer AG. As a member of the Supervisory Board, Dr Stephan Glander advises, among others, Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH, one of the oldest family-owned companies in Germany.

Dirk J. Biesterfeld, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, states: "Dr Stephan Glander is a very experienced senior executive in the chemical industry and I am pleased that he is to succeed Thomas Arnold. He has a clear understanding of the values of our family-owned business and has international experience and expertise in the strategic positioning and expansion of globally operating enterprises. I am sure we have found the right person for the future strategic development of the company. I am looking forward to working with him and I wish him every success in his new role."

Commenting on his appointment as CEO, Stephan Glander says: "I would like to thank the Biesterfeld family and the supervisory board for the confidence they have placed in me. I am very much looking forward to my new role. Biesterfeld is a family business in the best sense, with a clear set of values. Since it was founded it has impressively developed into a leading international distributor of plastics, rubbers and specialty chemicals. The task now is to continue this success story in a fundamentally changing environment. I am looking forward to shaping the future of the company together with my colleagues on the board, the whole Biesterfeld team and our partners."

Stephan Glander will officially become CEO on 1 April 2023, replacing Thomas Arnold (63), who is retiring after ten years with Biesterfeld AG. Arnold studied business administration and held management positions at renowned companies in the international chemical and trade industry before joining the Biesterfeld Group as managing director of Biesterfeld Spezialchemie in 2013. In 2015 he became CEO of Biesterfeld AG, taking on responsibility for the strategic positioning and development of the Biesterfeld Group.

"I would like to extend my warmest thanks to Thomas Arnold, who has led the company in such an exemplary way and developed it very successfully," says Dirk J. Biesterfeld, speaking on behalf of the supervisory board of Biesterfeld AG. "The 'One Biesterfeld' strategy has not only strategically advanced the internal development of the group, but also accelerated our international growth. I would like to thank Thomas Arnold for his outstanding work and for the close and trusting personal dialogue. I wish him a very enjoyable retirement, which I am sure will see him remain as active as ever."

Thomas Arnold, CEO of Biesterfeld AG, points out: "I would like to thank Dirk J. Biesterfeld and the whole Biesterfeld family, as well as the supervisory board, for ten wonderful years. I can say without hesitation that I do not regret a single day of my time as managing director and CEO. There is a good reason why we talk about the 'Biesterfeld family'. Of course this means the owner family, first and foremost Dirk J. Biesterfeld as chairman of the supervisory board. I am grateful for the open, constructive and successful collaboration and personal trust extended to me. But there are also my colleagues on the board – as a team we've grown Biesterfeld very successfully over the past eight years and made it ready for the challenges of tomorrow. And last but not least, I also would like to thank the entire Biesterfeld team, which now includes more than 1000 people around the world, for their hard work and dedication over the years. I am looking forward to beginning a new stage of my life in April, and I wish Stephan Glander every success in his new role."

https://www.chemeurope.com/en/news/1179504/dr-stephan-glander-appointed-new-ceo-of-biesterfeld-ag.html