Biesterfeld will have a new CEO

With effect from 1 April 2023, the supervisory board of Biesterfeld has appointed Stephan Glander (above in the picture) as CEO of the Biesterfeld Group, a leading international distributor of plastics, rubber and specialty chemicals. Glander takes over from Thomas Arnold (below in the picture), who is retiring after ten years with the family-owned company, including eight years as CEO.

Most recently, Stephan Glander served as CEO of BYK, a leading global supplier of specialty chemicals and a subsidiary of the Altana Group. At the family-owned Altana, he was a member of the Executive Management Committee. Prior to this, Glander - who holds a doctorate in chemistry - held a variety of management roles at renowned international chemical producers and plastics processors, including Röchling, Quadrant (Mitsubishi Chemicals) and Bayer.

Dirk J. Biesterfeld, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, stated: "Stephan Glander is a very experienced senior executive in the chemical industry and I am pleased that he is to succeed Thomas Arnold. He has a clear understanding of the values of our family-owned business and has international experience and expertise in the strategic positioning and expansion of globally operating enterprises. I am sure we have found the right person for the future strategic development of the company.”

Commenting on his appointment as CEO, Stephan Glander said: "I would like to thank the Biesterfeld family and the supervisory board for the confidence they have placed in me. I am very much looking forward to my new role. Biesterfeld is a family business in the best sense, with a clear set of values. Since it was founded it has impressively developed into a leading international distributor of plastics, rubbers and specialty chemicals. The task now is to continue this success story in a fundamentally changing environment. I am looking forward to shaping the future of the company together with my colleagues on the board, the whole Biesterfeld team and our partners."

"I would like to extend my warmest thanks to Thomas Arnold, who has led the company in such an exemplary way and developed it very successfully," Dirk J. Biesterfeld added. "The “One Biesterfeld” strategy has not only strategically advanced the internal development of the group, but also accelerated our international growth. I would like to thank Thomas Arnold for his outstanding work and for the close and trusting personal dialogue."