COLOGNE, Germany – Holger Hüppeler will take over the management of the Inorganic Pigments (IPG) business unit at the specialty chemicals company LANXESS as of Dec. 1, 2017. The current manager of the Procurement and Logistics group function will succeed Jörg Hellwig, who has been the driving force behind LANXESS's digital activities as manager of the dLX group function since the spring.

"With Holger Hüppeler, the management of this important business unit will be in the hands of an excellent industry and market expert. He will continue to build on IPG's position as one of the world's best-performing players in the pigment sector," said Matthias Zachert, Chairman of the LANXESS Board of Management. "With customer proximity and innovative strength, Jörg Hellwig has made IPG a leading supplier of pigments."

On the same date, Hüppeler will be succeeded by Bernd Makowka, currently responsible for the purchasing of raw materials in the Procurement and Logistics group function. Makowka will initially lead the group function in addition to his current duties.

Hüppeler began his professional career in 1989 at Bayer in Leverkusen. Having trained as a business administrator, he assumed various tasks in the Ion Exchange Resins Business Group and in the Industrial Intermediates business area, among them as a Technical Sales Representative in the UK. On his return to Germany, he became Product Manager in the Active Ingredient Intermediates business unit and then headed several market segments. From 2002, he was head of Strategic Marketing in the then Basic Chemicals business unit. Since March 2008, Hüppeler has been head of the Global Procurement & Logistics group function.