21 Oct 2014
Mr. Christian A. Frick to become new Managing Director of SGL China
Shanghai, October 21, 2014. The SGL Group – The Carbon Company – has appointed Mr. Christian A. Frick as the Managing Director of SGL China effective July 1 2014, succeeding Dr. Guenter Hermann who will retire from SGL Group this year. Apart from this position, Mr. Christian A. Frick will also fulfill the board responsibilities of several SGL Group legal entities in China and around Asia.
Born in 1971 in Germany, Mr. Frick studied Business Administration and Managerial Economics at University of Tübingen and INSEAD, Singapore. He joined SGL Group in 2012 as Director Corporate Projects and was later on promoted as Head of Strategy Development where he was also responsible for successful M&A projects. Prior to joining SGL Group, Mr. Frick worked for a German-based Stock listed Photovoltaic Equipment Manufacturer as CFO of Thin Film Module Division and Managing Director South East Asia of an Investment company in Singapore.
Gerd Wingefeld, Member of the Board of SGL Group said, “Mr. Frick has extensive experience in all aspects of international business development and strategy, corporate and financial management in various industries such as chemical, material, manufacturing as well as long-standing expertise in Asian growth markets. We are convinced that, with his strong track record Mr. Frick will support SGL Group to further develop in China taking our market position to a next level.”
Gerd Wingefeld also expressed gratitude to Dr. Guenter Hermann for his outstanding contributions to SGL Group’s past development in China. “Dr. Guenter Hermann has built up our business in China very successfully in the past years, and consequently seizing market opportunities for SGL Group in various fields. The build-up is part of our overall strategy to serve regional demand with regional production.”
Dr. Hermann has served SGL Group for almost 30 years. In the past 15 years, Dr. Hermann has managed SGL Group’s expansion in China. Under the leadership of Dr. Hermann, SGL Group has invested and established 4 entities in China with around 500 employees since the company acquired its first business license in 1998. In 2012, Dr. Hermann was honored with the Shanghai Magnolia Award, which is one of the top honors awarded to non-Chinese residents by the Municipal Government of Shanghai.
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SGL Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of carbon-based products and materials. It has a comprehensive portfolio ranging from carbon and graphite products to carbon fibers and composites. SGL Group’s core competencies are its expertise in high-temperature technology as well as its applications and engineering know-how gained over many years. These competencies enable the Company to make full use of its broad material base. SGL Group’s carbon-based materials combine several unique properties such as very good electrical and thermal conductivity, heat and corrosion resistance as well as high mechanical strength combined with low weight. Due to industrialization in the growth regions of Asia and Latin America and increased substitution of traditional with innovative materials, there is a growing demand for SGL Group’s high-performance materials and products. Products from SGL Group are used predominantly in the steel, aluminum, automotive and chemical industries as well as in the semiconductor, solar and LED sectors and in lithium-ion batteries. Carbon-based materials and products are also being used increasingly in the wind power, aerospace and defense industries.
With 43 production sites in Europe, North America and Asia as well as a service network covering more than 100 countries, SGL Group is a company with a global presence. In 2013, the Company’s workforce of around 6,300 employees generated sales of €1,477 million. The Company’s head office is located in Wiesbaden.
Further information on the SGL Group can be found online at: www.sglgroup.com
Important note:
This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on the information currently available to us and on our current projections and assumptions. By nature, forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, as a consequence of which actual developments and results can deviate significantly from these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not to be understood as guarantees. Rather, future developments and results depend on a number of factors; they entail various risks and unanticipated circumstances and are based on assumptions which may prove to be inaccurate. These risks and uncertainties include, for example, unforeseeable changes in political, economic, legal, and business conditions, particularly relating to our main customer industries, such as electric steel production, to the competitive environment, to interest rate and exchange rate fluctuations, to technological developments, and to other risks and unanticipated circumstances. Other risks that in our opinion may arise include price developments, unexpected developments connected with acquisitions and subsidiaries, and unforeseen risks associated with ongoing cost savings programs. SGL Group does not intend or assume any responsibility to revise or otherwise update these forward-looking statements.