The Supervisory Board of Symrise AG has appointed Michael Friede to the Executive Board and as Chairman of the Scent & Care segment, previously headed on an interim basis by Symrise CEO Jean-Yves Parisot. The Scent & Care segment, which groups Symrise's activities in the fields of fragrance applications, aroma molecules and cosmetic ingredients, generates annual sales of around €2 billion.
"We are very pleased to announce that Michael Friede will be joining our management committee. He brings many years of experience and in-depth market knowledge, as well as a high level of industry-specific expertise in various growth areas. In addition, he has proven international experience, which makes him an excellent choice for Symrise, a fast-growing company operating on a global scale".said Michael König, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Symrise AG.
Michael Friede has been a member of the Management Board of Brenntag SE (Essen, Germany), since 2023, where he held the position of CEO of Brenntag Specialties, leading the Life Science and Materials Science Specialty Chemicals segments worldwide. Previously, he was a member of the Executive Committee of Akzo Nobel N.V. Amsterdam, Netherlands, Executive Vice President of Covestro AG, Germany, and CEO and President of Covestro Elastomers SAS in France. He began his professional career with Bayer AG, where he held various management positions in Leverkusen, Germany, and Pittsburgh, USA. He is also a member of the Supervisory Board of Pearl Polyurethane Systems LLC, a leading producer of polyurethane systems, headquartered in Dubai.