Thomas H. Ahrens will become new CEO of CABB Group

Sulzbach / Pratteln, 24. March 2023 – CABB Group today announced that Thomas H. Ahrens (61) will become the new CEO. He is currently CEO of the COMPO EXPERT Group, a leading global producer of specialty fertilisers for professional applications based in Münster (Germany). Ahrens will join CABB on 1 June 2023 and succeed Valerie Diele-Braun after a transition period of a few months. She will take on a new professional challenge on 1 October.

“We are very pleased that with Thomas Ahrens, we have attracted an experienced leader who has an outstanding track record in driving sustainable growth and profitability. Building on his extensive industry expertise, he will further strengthen CABB's position as a premier contract development and manufacturing organisation and leading producer of proprietary ingredients for customers in the Life Science and Performance Materials industries. We are convinced that after a smooth transition from Valerie he will successfully lead CABB into the next chapter of its growth story”, said Roberto Gualdoni, Chairman of the Advisory Board.

Ahrens has more than 20 years of industry experience at executive board level with a strong focus on driving global expansion strategies and delivering long-term profitable growth. Prior to his time at COMPO EXPERT where he took over as CEO in March 2016, he spent four years as Vice President Europe at ENTHONE, a global leader in chemical solutions for surface finishing in a variety of industries. Both companies have seen a strong performance improvement during Ahrens’ tenure.

“CABB with its high-quality products and services is ideally positioned to excel in an exciting industry,” said Ahrens. “I very much look forward to joining forces with my more than 1’000 colleagues around the globe, the whole management team, and the owner Permira. Together, we will continue to unlock CABB’s full potential and drive our sustainable growth agenda.”

About CABB

The CABB Group is a leading Crop Science contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO), supplying customized active ingredients. CABB also offers high-complexity and high-purity chemical ingredients to customers in the Life Sciences and Performance Materials markets. The company operates six production sites in Pratteln (Switzerland), Kokkola (Finland), Galena (USA), Knapsack and Gersthofen (Germany), Jining (China). With around 1,200 employees, CABB recorded an annual turnover of about €755 million in the 2022 financial year.

IR Contact:
Martin Reichel, Head of Group Finance, Martin.Reichel@cabb-chemicals.com

1591137  24-March-2023 CET/CEST