Evonik has appointed Dr. Max Preisenberger as the new head of the Catalysts business line. Dr. Preisenberger, who was previously responsible for Finance and Strategy in the Specialty Additives division, takes over from Sanjeev Taneja, who has retired.

In his new position overseeing Evonik’s catalysts and adsorbents business line, Dr. Preisenberger will be responsible for driving growth-focused strategy and global business development.

With a dual background in chemistry and economics, Dr. Preisenberger has an excellent track record and brings a wealth of experience to the position, with two decades spent working across the Evonik Group, including assignments in all three growth divisions: Smart Materials, Nutrition & Care and Specialty Additives.

Commenting on his appointment, Dr. Preisenberger says: “It’s an honor to be appointed as head of the Catalysts business line with its impressive global footprint and strong portfolio – and I look forward to building on Sanjeev’s strong legacy. We are leaders within the industry, and my aim is to continue this journey and deliver on our ambitious growth agenda throughout 2024 and beyond. With 80% of chemical products manufactured using catalytic processes, catalysts are an important value generator within the industry – and our outlook of ‘think global, act local’ provides us solid footing for this path.”

Dr. Preisenberger was awarded a doctorate in Chemistry from the Technical University of Munich and completed an additional university degree in economics.

His professional career at Evonik began in 2000. He went on to hold several positions within Marketing, Controlling and Research & Development and Applied Technology, working in Germany, France and the US.