Clariant will be reorganised in three global business units and will implement a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion roadmap.
Clariant has announced that it intends to change its leadership and organisational structure, as part of the company’s ongoing initiatives to implement a purpose-led strategy and cultural transformation. The new structure will enable Clariant to reduce hierarchical layers and overall complexity.
The new operating model will allow Clariant to position itself for long-term sustainable growth while remaining committed to its strategic priorities, focusing on customers, innovation, sustainability and human resources. In addition, the company has also presented its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) roadmap focused on gender equality, inclusive culture and cultural identity.
“Clariant has undergone a successful portfolio change in recent years and is now a true specialty chemicals company. Now is the right time to align the organization more closely to customers, businesses and markets. The new setup will further strengthen our position as a leader in sustainability and establish a best-in-class governance,” has stated Günter von Au, the chairman of the Board of Clariant.
“With our new operating model and cultural transformation, we will foster better customer orientation, greater empowerment, accountability and transparency and take a new approach to leadership development promoting an inclusive and diverse culture – thereby securing Clariant’s position to achieve its 2025 targets, in line with our purpose-led strategy,” has declared Conrad Keijzer, the CEO of Clariant.
The new organisational structure of Clariant
Clariant will reduce its business units to three and locate the respective presidents in the regions with the largest customer base and highest growth potential. It will also create a new Executive Steering Committee that will include the CEO, the CFO and the presidents of the new business units, who will have full P&L responsibility.
Clariant will combine the already existing Catalysts and Biofuels & Derivatives business lines into the newly created “Catalysts” division led by the president of the Asia-Pacific region, Jens Cuntze. Functional Minerals and Additives will merge into “Adsorbents & Additives”, with Angela Cackovich serving as the newly appointed President. Finally, the Industrial and Consumer Specialties business unit and the and Oil and Mining services will become the “Care Chemicals” segment, headed by the president of the Americas region Christian Vang.
The Executive Steering Committee will form the Executive Leadership Team together with Chief Human Resources Officer Tatiana Berardinelli, General Counsel Alfred Muench, newly appointed Chief Corporate Development Officer Chris Hansen and Chief Technology & Sustainability Officer Richard Haldimann. Clariant declared that the reorganisation will not have any impact on the financial reporting by Business Area within the current fiscal year.
As a consequence of the new structure, Hans Bohnen (Chief Operating Officer) and Bernd Hoegemann (Chief Transformation Officer) have decided to step down from their current roles in the Executive Committee and will pursue their career outside the company. “We are very grateful to Bernd and Hans for their very valuable contributions in various leadership positions at Clariant. I wish them the very best for the future,” has commented Keijzer.
The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion roadmap of Clariant
The DE&I roadmap is an essential part of Clariant’s new purpose-led strategy, aimed at building a more diverse, equitable and inclusive future and complementing the structural changes. For each of the areas (gender equality, inclusive culture and cultural identity), the company has set targets for 2030.
Clariant will focus on strengthening the gender balance at the management level by doubling the current female representation to at least 30%. Moreover, it wants to provide equal access to career development for all ethnicities and ensure that the business footprint is reflected in the company’s leadership: so, the organisation will increase the share of leaders with national origin outside of Europe from currently 32% to more than 40%.