Ready for the future for 150 years

“Future? Ready!” With this motto, Henkel has launched the celebration of its 150 years of history, which began on 26 September 1876 when Fritz Henkel founded the company in Aachen (Germany). Today, it is a multinational producer of adhesives, sealants, and functional coatings, with 47,000 employees, operations in over 70 countries, and sales exceeding 21 billion euros. The motto “Future? Ready!” chosen for the anniversary aims to express confidence in Henkel's continuous development, even in challenging times marked by geopolitical tensions, technological transformation, and growing volatility. At the heart of the celebrations are the qualities that have characterised the company since its foundation: pioneering spirit, innovative strength, and responsibility.

“150 years mark an important milestone in Henkel's history. They stand for continuity, a pioneering spirit, and the courage to constantly rethink the status quo,” said Simone Bagel-Trah, Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board and Shareholders’ Committee of Henkel. “As a family-owned company, we bear responsibility towards our employees, society, and future generations. We are proud of how our employees around the world continue to bring the shared Henkel spirit to life and carry it forward every day. Our purpose expresses what we stand for: creating value and positive impact with our pioneering and entrepreneurial spirit, always keeping the well-being of today’s and future generations in mind. Or, as we say: Pioneers at heart for the good of generations. This gives me great confidence and trust as we look ahead.”

“With this special anniversary, we want to reaffirm our confidence in our capabilities, our people, our innovative strength, and our corporate culture,” added Henkel CEO Carsten Knobel. “Under the motto ‘Future? Ready!’, we are entering our anniversary year – a year in which we look back with great pride on our long history and, at the same time, look ahead with confidence to the path ahead of us. At the heart of the anniversary are our employees around the world, because they are the key to our success. That is why we are actively involving them in the celebrations – through tangible benefits such as advantages in the employee share program, an additional day of vacation, and, of course, a variety of events worldwide around the company’s birthday in September.”

As part of the employee share program in 2026, Henkel will offer all participants an exclusive anniversary benefit. The company will top up every employee investment by 41 percent, enabling stronger participation in Henkel’s business success. In simple terms: employees who invest 100 euros in Henkel shares will receive shares worth 141 euros. In addition, all employees worldwide will be granted an extra day of vacation in their birthday month during the anniversary year. In 2026, special celebrations and activities will take place at Henkel sites around the world, connecting the company’s past with a forward-looking perspective. The highlight will be 26 September, the company’s founding day.