Wacker Appoints CEO, CFO, HR Director

David Wilhoit has been named President & CEO, Wacker Chemical Corporation. He joins Wacker Chemical Corporation as President & CEO following an extensive and progressive career within the Wacker organization. He succeeds Dr. Ingomar Kovar, who is retiring from the company.

Wilhoit’s appointment to Wacker involves overseeing the international business development for the company in the North America, Central America and Andes Regions. His primary concentration will include overall management responsibility for the company’s operations with a stra-tegic emphasis focused on continued new business growth and new market entry.

Wilhoit began his career in 1990 with Wacker’s Siltronic Division (Portland, OR), advancing to the position of Global Account Manager. (Siltronic, a business unit of Wacker Chemie AG, is a global leader in the manufacture of hyperpure silicon wafers for the microelectronics industries).  In 2001, Wilhoit was promoted to the position of Director of Special Projects and was posted to his first overseas assignment in Singapore, where he was responsible for supporting the development of the Asian / Pacific market. He was then reassigned to Tokyo, Japan and served as Director of Market-ing for Japan.

Upon returning to the United States in 2004, Wilhoit was named Vice President, Sales for the Americas Region. He was then subse-quently reassigned to Japan in 2006 and served as President and Representative Director for Siltronic –Japan. In 2008 David returned to Singapore as President and CEO of Siltronic Samsung Wafer Pte. Ltd. (SSW) – At that time a joint venture between Siltronic and Samsung Electronic responsible for producing 300 mm wafers. 

In early 2014 Siltronic took majority share in the Siltronic – Samsung joint venture. Wilhoit was instrumental in the discussions and negotiations with various interest groups, government agencies and shareholders, eventually leading to a successful integration of the former SSW joint venture into the local and global Siltronic organiza-tion.

In September 2014, Wilhoit was appointed President & CEO, Wacker Chemical Corporation and began transitioning into his new role and responsibility. David holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Science from California Polytechnic State University. He and his wife Anne have two daughters and will be residing in the Ann Arbor, MI area. 

Dr. Tobias Brandis has been named Chief Financial Officer Wacker Chemical Corporation. Brandis is responsible for accounting, controlling, treasury, procurement, logistics, IT and other corporate functions of the company.  

Brandis joins Wacker Chemical Corporation as Chief Financial Officer after having developed extensive experience within and out-side the Wacker organization, particularly in the areas of M&A, strategic planning, corporate development and financing law. Brandis’ recent appointment to Wacker Chemical Corporation as Chief Financial Officer brings strong financial, operational and inter-national business management experience to the company. Brandis will concentrate his focus and leadership by overseeing and strengthening the company’s departments for accounting, control-ling, treasury, procurement and logistics, IT and other corporate functions.

Brandis was working at the global law firm of Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in Dusseldorf, Germany from 2000 through 2007.

Brandis joined Wacker Chemie AG, the Munich-based chemical company in 2007 in the legal department, where he focused on mergers and acquisitions, corporate law and corporate financing. In 2010 he was appointed to the position of Senior Vice President, Corporate Development, Wacker Chemie AG being responsible for WACKER’s group strategy, strategic planning, mergers & acquisi-tions and group organization.

In September 2014, Brandis was appointed as Chief Financial Officer, Wacker Chemical Corporation. Brandis holds a Doctor-ate in Law from the University of Munich (2001) and took his legal studies at the Universities of Heidelberg, Geneva and Tübingen. He and his wife Dr. Anais Schuster-Brandis and two children will be residing in the Ann Arbor, MI area.