ADRIAN, MI – Effective January 1, 2015, David Wilhoit will take over as President and CEO of Wacker Chemical Corp. 

Wilhoit joins Wacker Chemical Corp. as President and CEO following an extensive career within the WACKER organization. He succeeds Dr. Ingomar Kovar, who is retiring from the company. Wilhoit will oversee the international business development for the company in the North America, Central America and Andes Regions. His primary concentration will include overall management responsibility for the company’s operations with a focus on continued new business growth and new market entry.

Wilhoit began his career in 1990 with WACKER’s Siltronic Division in Portland, OR, advancing to the position of Global Account Manager. Siltronic, a business unit of Wacker Chemie AG, is a leader in the manufacture of hyperpure silicon wafers for the microelectronics industries. In 2001, Wilhoit was promoted to Director of Special Projects and received his first overseas assignment in Singapore, where he was responsible for supporting the development of the Asian/Pacific market. He was then reassigned to Tokyo and served as Director of Marketing for Japan.

Upon returning to the United States in 2004, Wilhoit was named Vice President, Sales for the Americas region. He was reassigned to Japan in 2006 and served as President and Representative Director for Siltronic–Japan. In 2008, he returned to Singapore as President and CEO of Siltronic Samsung Wafer Pte. Ltd. (SSW), which at that time was a joint venture between Siltronic and Samsung Electronic, and was responsible for producing 300 mm wafers. 

In early 2014, Siltronic took the majority share in the Siltronic-Samsung joint venture. Wilhoit was instrumental in the discussions and negotiations with various interest groups, government agencies and shareholders, eventually leading to a successful integration of the former SSW joint venture into the local and global Siltronic organization.

Wacker also announced that Dr. Tobias Brandis has been named Chief Financial Officer Wacker Chemical Corp. Brandis is responsible for accounting, controlling, treasury, procurement, logistics, IT and other corporate functions of the company. He joins Wacker Chemical Corp. after having developed extensive experience within and outside the WACKER organization, particularly in the areas of M&A, strategic planning, corporate development and financing law.