WESEL, Germany - The Supervisory Board of the specialty chemicals Group ALTANA AG has extended the appointment of Matthias L. Wolfgruber as Chief Executive Officer ahead of schedule. With effect from July 1, 2009, Wolfgruber is reappointed for a period of five years as Chairman of the Management Board that is composed of himself and Martin Babilas, the Chief Financial Officer of ALTANA AG.
From 1985 to 2002, Wolfgruber worked in various positions with Wacker Chemie AG, his last post being CEO of Wacker Chemical Corp. in the United States. In 2002, Wolfgruber joined ALTANA AG as a member of the Management Board of the ALTANA Group and President and CEO of the Chemicals Division. Since 2007, he has been the CEO of ALTANA AG, headquartered in Wesel, Germany, which has focused on specialty chemicals after the sale of its pharmaceuticals business.