A change in management at Europe’s Chemical Industry Council, CEFIC, will take place on May 1, 2016, when Marco Mensink steps in as director general succeeding Hubert Mandery, who will retire on Apr. 30 after holding the job since 2009. To ensure a smooth transition, Mensink will join CEFIC on Mar. 15.

Since Jun. 1, 2014, Mesink, a Dutch national, has been director general of the Confederation of European Pulp and Paper Industries (CEPI), which represents the pulp and paper industry. After taking a Master of Science Degree in Forestry and Business Management from the Agricultural University of Wageningen in the Netherlands, he began his career at Ernst & Young Management Consulting, working in environmental management and due diligence projects, before joining the Royal Netherlands’ Paper and Board Association, representing the Dutch industry in Brussels.

CEFIC said its new chief executive brings with him an extensive network of contacts within European institutions and the wider Brussels sphere. Council president Jean-Pierre Clamadieu, CEO of Solvay, said he is confident Mensink will build on the success of Hubert Mandery in establishing CEFIC as the central hub for Europe’s chemical industry and linked associations.