Three Clariant Business Units under New Leadership

As of July 1, three business units (BU) of Clariant’s Pigments & Additives Division (www.clariant.com) have new leadership: Plastic Industries, Printing Industries and Specialized Industries. Together with Coating Industries, the four BUs are part of the new divisional structure established at the beginning of 2003 by Clariant.     
    
By creating various BUs, the Pigments & Additives Division can tailor its services to the requirements of its customers in different industries even better than before.
    
Since July 1, the BU Plastic Industries is led by Dr. Alexander Sieber, after his predecessor, Dr. Fritz Brenzikofer left Clariant to start his own business. Dr. Sieber started his career more than 20 years ago in the research and development department of the former Hoechst AG. As the head of a working group in pigments research, he was also involved in the development of masterbatches.
    
In 1991, Dr. Sieber, who holds a Ph. D. in chemistry, became CEO of the South African company Polyrem, originally a joint venture between Hoechst and Sandoz, and now part of Clariant. Upon his return to Germany in 1996, Dr. Sieber was appointed head of the pigments business for the printing inks industry of Hoechst AG. When this business was integrated into Clariant, he became head of the BU Ink Pigments of the Pigments & Additives Division of Clariant. When the division was restructured in January 2003, Dr. Sieber took the helm of the BU Printing Industries.
    
Since 1995, Dr. Sieber has been a board member of the Ecological and Toxicological Association of Dyes and Organic Pigment Manufacturers (ETAD). Since 2002, Dr. Sieber has also been a member of the steering committee of Eurocolors, the European Association of Colorants Manufacturers.
    
Dr. Ulrich Ott follows Dr. Sieber as the new head of the BU Printing Industries. After receiving a Ph. D. in physical chemistry, Dr. Ott joined Hoechst AG in 1986. He held various positions in pigments marketing, including a work assignment in the U.S. for several years. After the merger of the specialty chemicals divisions of Hoechst and Sandoz in 1997, he became the head of technology for the BU Ink Pigments. Since January 2003, he has been responsible for marketing of the BU Printing Industries.
    
After the assignment of Dr. Uwe Nickel as the head of the Pigments & Additives Division, the leadership of the BU Specialized Industries became vacant. As of July 1, this position was assumed by Kay-Uwe Kutschbach. He joined Hoechst AG in 1986, and was given various assignments in pigments marketing for plastics, followed in 1989 by three years as the manager of the pigments department at Hoechst Taiwan Ltd.
    
Upon his return to Germany, he became assistant to the management of the Fine Chemicals and Color Business of Hoechst AG. In 1995, he was nominated head of the industry management of the Business Group Special Fields. Since 1996, he has been specializing in pigment preparations, initially as head of the product management preparations, and since 1997 – after the specialty chemicals divisions of Sandoz and Hoechst merged into Clariant – as head of the technology sector preparations. Since early 2003, he has been responsible for the product management of preparations at the BU Coating Industries.