Bertram Appointed as Symrise CEO

Heinz-Jürgen Bertram (50) succeeds Gerold Linzbach who, for personal reasons, has not asked for his contract to be renewed when it expires on 22nd October 2009. He is leaving Symrise by mutual consent after four successful years at the helm of the company.

04/06/09 Heinz-Jürgen Bertram has been appointed to the position of Chief Executive Officer of the flavors and fragrances manufacturer Symrise AG effective July 1, 2009. The appointment was approved by the company’s Supervisory Board today in Frankfurt am Main.

Heinz-Jürgen Bertram (50) succeeds Gerold Linzbach who, for personal reasons, has not asked for his contract to be renewed when it expires on 22nd October 2009. He is leaving Symrise by mutual consent after four successful years at the helm of the company.

Heinz-Jürgen Bertram received his doctorate in chemistry. His professional career began in 1987 when he joined Bayer AG in Leverkusen. He moved to Holzminden in 1990 to work for Haarmann & Reimer GmbH which was later absorbed into the newly formed Symrise Group in 2003. He held a number of managerial positions in the Research and Development area before taking over responsibility for the Group’s global manufacturing operations in 2005. He has been a member of the Executive Board of Symrise AG since October 2006 when he was appointed to head-up the Flavor & Nutrition Division which contributed € 648 million to total Group sales of € 1.320 billion in 2008.

Andreas Schmid, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, welcomed the appointment of the new CEO. “In Heinz-Jürgen Bertram, Symrise is gaining a Chief Executive Officer who is totally familiar with the company and the flavors and fragrances sector. He has demonstrated his outstanding skills in several responsible positions in Symrise and most recently as head of the Flavor & Nutrition Division. As a result of his research background, innovation and flexibility are among Dr Bertram’s strengths; he enjoys the confidence of the Supervisory Board and will be able to use his own commitment to inspire staff to meet the challenges of the years ahead. We are convinced that he will use his leadership to sustain the successful development of Symrise and to strengthen the company with a new momentum.”

“I feel closely involved with the company and its staff. In spite of the exacting economic climate I am therefore very happy to face the exciting challenges ahead with motivation and a clear sense of responsibility. The company has recently undergone a series of eventful years of the merger, the IPO and strategic acquisitions. My objective is to further develop the inherent strengths of Symrise and to pursue a dynamic, cross-divisional approach of innovation in order to provide the new ideas and added impetus needed to continue the successful course of recent years“, was Bertram’s response to his appointment.

The company will make an announcement in due course about Dr Bertram’s successor as the Flavor & Nutrition Division’s representative in the Executive Board.