Educational background

• Ph.D. in Chemistry, University of Stuttgart, Germany 

Professional background

Hariolf Kottmann was elected as a member of Sulzer’s Board of Directors in 2023, bringing broad leadership experience in the roles of CEO and Chairman. As CEO of Clariant International Ltd. (Clariant) from 2008 through 2018, he led the company through highly demanding restructuring phases. Following that, he served as Executive President and later as Chairman of the Board of Directors at Clariant from 2019 until 2021. Before joining Clariant, Hariolf Kottmann was a member of the Executive Committee at SGL Carbon AG (Wiesbaden, Germany) from 2001 to 2008. At SGL Carbon, he held responsibilities for Asia, Eastern Europe, Technology & Innovation, the Graphite Specialties as well as the Carbon Fibers and Composites Businesses. From 1997 to 2001, he ran various businesses as a member of the Executive Committee at Celanese Chemicals Ltd at Summit (NJ), Dallas (TX), USA and Singapore. After completing his Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of Stuttgart, Hariolf Kottmann began his career at Hoechst AG, (Frankfurt, Germany) in 1985, where he held several positions of increasing seniority in R&D, technology and production, marketing, finance and corporate functions.

Other listed company mandates

• None

Other activities and vested interests

• Member of the Supervisory Board for Plansee Holding, Austria