Lenzing appoints Stephan Sielaff as CEO, Cord Prinzhorn returns as chairman

Lenzing AG has appointed Stephan Sielaff, the former CTO/COO of the company, as the new CEO effective April 01, 2022. He succeeds Cord Prinzhorn, who took over as interim CEO in the fourth quarter of 2021.

The company said in a release that Lenzing AG chairman Peter Edelmann will leave the supervisory board effective April 26, 2022 and Cord Prinzhorn will return to the board and will take over as chairman. The company’s CFO Thomas Obendrauf has also decided not to extend his contract, which expires in June 2022.

“Stephan Sielaff took up his duties at the beginning of the corona crisis and has shown outstanding efficiency over the two years. His strong presence and leadership qualities convinced the supervisory board to offer him the role of future CEO,” said Peter Edelmann.

“Thomas Obendrauf has fulfilled the role of CFO excellently and prudently since 2016. Together with his colleagues on the managing board, he has consistently pursued the sCore TEN strategy and successfully implemented it despite considerable pandemic-related distortions. He was also responsible on the board for the construction of the new lyocell plant in Thailand. We regret that he will not renew his contract,” added Edelmann.

Sielaff, the company added, holds a degree in chemical engineering and held various management positions at Unilever and Symrise from 1993 to 2014. Between 2014 and 2020, he was responsible for the strategic development of the company as a member of the board of directors (COO) at the Swiss specialty chemicals company Archroma – an important supplier of the textile and paper industry. He was appointed chief technology officer and COO of Lenzing as of March 01, 2020.