Effective September 18, 2009, Dr. Simone Bagel-Trah will be taking over from Albrecht Woeste the positions of Chair of the Supervisory Board and of the Shareholders’ Committee at Henkel. In keeping with the company’s traditions, the question of succession had been dealt with well in advance of this date, Albrecht Woeste having announced the generation change at last year’s Annual General Meeting.

As a member of Henkel’s corporate bodies, Albrecht Woeste has been intimately involved in the Henkel history for a number of decades. The 73 year old has been Chair of the Supervisory Board and of the Shareholders’ Committee of Henkel since 1990. A great-grandson of company founder Fritz Henkel, he represents the fourth generation of the family to have taken the helm of this tradition-rich company. “With a unique set of outstanding personal qualities, Albrecht Woeste has for many years contributed to making the mix of corporate endeavor and family values a factor for success at Henkel. And for this I would like, on behalf of all Henkel’s employees, to express to him our deepest thanks,” commented Kasper Rorsted, Chairman of the Henkel Management Board.

As a great-great-granddaughter of the company founder, Dr. Simone Bagel-Trah is part of the fifth generation of the Henkel family established since his time. “I would like to thank everybody for the confidence that they have shown in me and am looking forward to meeting the challenges that await me as the new chair of the two corporate bodies,” she said. The 40 year old doctor of microbiology and mother of two is partner and director of the clinical microbiological research company Antiinfectives Intelligence domiciled in Rheinbach near Bonn, Germany.

Henkel in North America
Henkel markets a wide range of well-known consumer and industrial brands in North America, including Dial® soaps, Purex® laundry detergents, Right Guard® antiperspirants, got2b® hair gels, and Loctite® adhesives. 

For more than 130 years, Henkel has been a leader with brands and technologies that make people's lives easier, better and more beautiful.  Henkel operates in three business areas – Home Care, Personal Care, and Adhesive Technologies – and is ranked among the Fortune Global 500 companies. More than 60 percent of Henkel’s sales are in fast-moving consumer goods, while the industrial business accounts for almost 40 percent of the company’s total sales. In fiscal 2008, Henkel generated sales of 14,131 million euros and adjusted operating profit of 1,460 million euros. Henkel’s more than 55,000 employees worldwide are dedicated to fulfilling the company’s corporate claim, "A Brand like a Friend," and ensuring that people in more than 125 countries can trust in brands and technologies from Henkel.