Evonik has appointed veteran executive Claus Rettig to its Executive Board and named him Deputy Chairman, placing the 66-year-old chemical industry veteran at the helm of the company’s leadership alongside his existing responsibility for Asia.
The appointment takes effect September 1, 2026, following an extraordinary meeting of Evonik’s Supervisory Board. Rettig will temporarily take over the duties of CEO Christian Kullmann while Kullmann recovers from a recent serious, unplanned surgery.
"We are all happy and relieved that Christian Kullmann’s surgery went well and, from the bottom of our hearts, wish him a speedy recovery," says Bernd Toenjes, Chairman of the Supervisory Board. "We are confident that he will resume his duties after his rehabilitation."
Rettig, who has spent more than three decades at the company, will continue to oversee Evonik’s Asian business as General Representative in Singapore while serving on the Executive Board.
The move comes as the chemical industry faces a deepening crisis and Evonik presses ahead with a sweeping transformation. Toenjes said Rettig’s long experience would provide stability during the leadership transition.
"In numerous management positions, he has achieved great things for Evonik, and he has the full trust of the entire Supervisory Board."
Alexander Bercht, Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board and a member of the Executive Board of labor union IG BCE, highlighted Rettig’s ability to balance the interests of the company and its workforce.
"Claus Rettig has proven in various leading positions that he can consistently pursue the interests of the company without losing sight of the interests of employees."
Rettig has already stepped into a key leadership role during a previous transition. In summer 2025, he temporarily headed Evonik’s finance department before Michael Rauch was appointed Chief Financial Officer in May 2026.
Now, he takes on a broader role as Evonik navigates what Rettig describes as the company’s most far-reaching transformation yet.
"Evonik is in the midst of the biggest transformation in its history," says Rettig. "Together with our colleagues on the Executive Board, we will consistently pursue the course we have chosen. I would like to thank the Supervisory Board for the trust they are placing in me."
Rettig’s career has been rooted entirely in the chemical industry. After studying chemistry, he joined Goldschmidt AG and in 2003 was appointed to its Executive Board. Goldschmidt later became part of Evonik.
From 2015, Rettig headed Evonik’s Resource Efficiency segment and joined the company’s extended Executive Board in 2020. Two years later, he was appointed Chief Representative with responsibility for the Asia-Pacific region.
