Merck Announces Executive Board Changes
Walter Zywottek to retire on July 1; Dr. Bernd Reckmann to head the Chemicals business sector
Merck KGaA announced that Walter Zywottek (60), General Partner and Member of the Executive Board with responsibility for the chemicals business sector, will retire on July 1, 2008. Dr. Bernd Reckmann (53) has been appointed to succeed him in this function.
Dr. Reckmann is likewise a General Partner and Member of the Executive Board, and currently is responsible for Production and Engineering, site management for Darmstadt and Gernsheim and other functions. The majority of these functions will be integrated with his new position as Head of Chemicals. Hence, from mid-year, one executive will have the over-all responsibility for the Chemicals business sector with respect to the two Chemicals divisions, production and business development, as is already the case in the Pharmaceuticals business sector.
As of July 1, 2008, the Executive Board of Merck will consist of four members: Dr. Karl-Ludwig Kley, Chairman; Dr. Michael Becker, Finance; Elmar Schnee, Pharmaceuticals; and Dr. Bernd Reckmann, Chemicals.
Walter Zywottek has been a General Partner and Member of the Executive Board of Merck with responsibility for the Chemicals business sector since September 2005. He has worked for the company for more than 40 years. Among other tasks, the industrial manager was responsible for the global laboratory distribution business and served as CEO of VWR International in the United States. He continued to lead this business after its sale to a financial investor in 2004 and then returned to Merck in 2005. Since first joining Merck in 1967, Zywottek has served as Regional Head of North America and CEO of EM Industries Inc. in the United States, as well as Head of the Pigments division. He also held other senior executive positions for the Merck Group in the laboratory and specialty chemicals businesses in Brazil.
Dr. Bernd Reckmann has been a General Partner and Member of the Executive Board of Merck since January 2007. He was previously President of Merck in Korea, which plays a significant role in the Liquid Crystals business. He began his career at Merck in 1986 as a Head of Laboratory in diagnostics research. In 1998 he was named Head of the Life Science Products division (now part of Performance & Life Science Chemicals), where he was responsible for the Laboratory Chemicals business. He holds a doctorate in biochemistry.
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