Umicore announces CEO succession

Umicore announces CEO succession

Umicore’s Supervisory Board has appointed Mathias Miedreich to succeed Marc Grynberg as CEO of the Group in the 4th quarter of this year. Marc and Mathias will work together to ensure an optimal onboarding of Mathias and a smooth transition of leadership.

Born in 1975 and a German national, Mathias currently is member of the Executive Committee of Faurecia, a leading global automotive supplier with a strong focus on sustainable mobility. Since early 2019, he has been Executive Vice-President of Faurecia’s Clean Mobility division which generated revenues of € 3.8 billion in 2020 and employs over 20,000 employees in 80 sites around the world, including 8 R&D centres. Mathias holds a Master’s degree in International Business Management from the Erlangen-Nuremberg Friedrich-Alexander University and started his career in Strategy Consulting at KPMG. He then moved to the automotive industry, in which he accumulated more than 20 years of experience in various senior leadership roles in Europe and Asia. Prior to joining Faurecia in 2013 as their Vice President Strategy & New Technologies for the Clean Mobility business, he worked at Siemens and Continental.

Thomas Leysen, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, commented: “We had set the bar very high to find a worthy successor for Marc and we are convinced that Mathias has what it takes to successfully lead Umicore in the next phase of its development. His vast international experience gained at leading  international corporations, his profound knowledge of the automotive industry, as well as his strong customer, people and technology focus provide the right mix as the company continues to develop”.  

The Supervisory Board will also propose the nomination of Marc to the Supervisory Board at the ordinary shareholders’ meeting of 2023.

Thomas Leysen added: “This would ensure that Marc’s unrivalled knowledge of Umicore and its markets, as well as his strategic insights will continue to be available to the company. In line with the recommendations of the Belgian Corporate Governance Code, the nomination is proposed in 2023 after an appropriate interval so as to ensure the required autonomy of the new CEO.”

Marc Grynberg, CEO of Umicore, said: “I am pleased that Mathias has been chosen as my successor. He brings a strong combination of professional and interpersonal skills to write the next chapter of Umicore’s success story together with the Management Board and all Umicore employees. I will ensure a smooth leadership transition and pass the baton to Mathias with confidence. I am also happy that the Supervisory Board will propose my nomination to join them and I look forward to continuing to be part of this wonderful company and contribute to its exciting journey.”