04.04.2016 • News

Gnann succeeds Hartel to Lead Wacker Silicones

Dr. Robert Gnann (51) has taken over as president of Wacker Chemie AG’s...
Dr. Robert Gnann (51) has taken over as president of Wacker Chemie AG’s WACKER SILICONES division effective April 1, 2016. (Photo: Wacker Chemie AG)

Dr. Robert Gnann (51) has taken over as president of Wacker Silicones effective April 1, 2016. He succeeds Dr. Christian Hartel, who was appointed to the Wacker Group’s Executive Board in early November 2015. Gnann comes to Wacker from Momentive Performance Materials, where he headed the chemical company’s elastomer and European activities.

After studying chemistry at the University of Cologne, Germany, and earning his doctorate, Robert Gnann began his career at GE Silicones in the USA in 1996. He then moved on to Bayer and Lanxess in Canada and Germany, where he held managerial positions in such areas as production and technology. From 2008, Gnann was responsible for the elastomers business unit at Momentive Performance Materials and, in 2010, additionally took charge of the company’s European activities.

Special Issue

Circular Plastics Economy
Explore the Future of Plastics

Circular Plastics Economy

This special CHEManager issue explores the industry’s pivotal shift towards a more sustainable, circular plastics value chain. Readers will find expert analysis and real-world solutions for today’s most pressing recycling and regulatory challenges.

Virtual Event

Downstream Purification
Bioprocess Forum

Downstream Purification

Save the Date: November 21+25, 2025
Join leading scientists, process engineers, and biomanufacturing innovators for a two-day virtual event exploring the latest breakthroughs in downstream purification.

most read

Photo

VCI Welcomes US-EU Customs Deal

The German Chemical Industry Association (VCI) welcomes the fact that Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and US President Donald Trump have averted the danger of a trade war for the time being.