Executive team

Michael Koenig, Chief Executive Officer

Michael brings a wealth of experience with more than 30 years in operational, commercial and technology leadership roles across the global chemical industry.

Michael began his career at Bayer, where he held multiple senior executive positions in Germany and China, including Member of the Board of Bayer AG, Chairman and CEO of Bayer China and CEO of China National Bluestar. At Elkem ASA, headquartered in Norway, Michael served as CEO. Michael received his master’s degree in Chemical Process Engineering from the Technical University of Dortmund, Germany.

Michael Pontzen, Chief Financial Officer

Michael brings 25 years of experience in finance, business management, investor relations, and executive roles. In the past 19 years, he served in different finance functions for LANXESS, a leading specialty chemicals company based in Germany. After heading different finance departments, including Investor Relations, Corporate Finance and Controlling, Michael was appointed CFO and member of the board of management from 2015 until his new assignment at Nobian. Prior to LANXESS, he served at the investor relations departments of Airbus and MAN Group.

Michael holds a Master degree in Business Administration from the Philipps-Universität Marburg. 

Philipp Polenz, Chief Operations Officer

Philipp brings a deep knowledge of the chemical industry and international business. In addition to heading Mergers & Acquisitions at Covestro, he successfully led multiple business units in Europe, North America and Asia before joining Nobian. He has a degree in Business Administration and speaks German, English, Dutch and French.

Achim Hupperts, Executive Vice President Integrated Supply Chain

Achim brings experience in Manufacturing, HSE and Sustainability. He has a proven track record of driving operational performance and efficiency, with a focus on combining business results with sustainability. During a career spanning over more than 25 years, Achim has held a number of senior management positions. At DSM he was end-responsible for the global operations of various business and production lines, Health & Safety, and Responsible Care. In his last position as Vice-President Sustainability, he led DSM’s Corporate Sustainability Team and was responsible for embedding sustainability in DSM’s strategy and business activities. Before joining DSM, Achim held several positions in R&D, Operations and Product Supply in Asia and Germany at SC Johnson and Bayer.

Lorette Roetenberg, Chief Human Resources Officer

Lorette brings more than 25 years of strategic HR leadership experience in multinational organizations, most recently at Royal DSM, where she led both corporate and strategic HR business roles for the past 10 years. She worked with different regions, including Europe, Asia, USA and India. Lorette has held HR leadership roles at US-based biotechnology company Amgen and GE Plastics. Lorette holds a degree in quality management and completed leadership and executive coaching programs at Amsterdam University, IMD in Switzerland, and London Business School.

Dirk Meerburg, General Counsel

Dirk brings more than 20 years of experience in corporate legal matters, litigation, government affairs and strategy, most recently at Royal Ahold Delhaize, where he was Head of Group Legal and Public Affairs for five years and, prior to that Head of Strategy. Dirk has also worked as a management consultant at global management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, and as an attorney at De Brauw Blackstone Westbroek, a leading Dutch law firm with international offices. Dirk holds law degrees from Utrecht University in the Netherlands and Cambridge University in the UK and completed a graduate program in international affairs at Johns Hopkins University, in addition to leadership courses at Harvard University in the US.

Marco Waas, Chief Technology and Sustainability Officer

Marco leads Nobian’s R&D and Technology agenda and is responsible for sustainability across the company. He brings a deep knowledge of technology transformation, open innovation (collaboration with universities, startups and in consortia), circular economy, electrification and Industry 4.0. Marco has held various (senior) management positions, including at Unilever and AkzoNobel. Previously, he was Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Maritime Engineering and Materials Science at Delft University of Technology. Marco is member of the Board of the VNCI (Dutch Chemical Industry Association) and Chairman of its Technology and Innovation Policy Committee. He is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the ISPT (Institute for Sustainable Process Technology and member of various committees and advisory boards. He studied (bio)chemical engineering and information technology at the University of Amsterdam.