As from 1 May, Antwerp-based Hans Van Bylen will be at the head of Henkel, the German multinational that is active worldwide in the production and sales of detergents, cosmetics and adhesives.
For 55-year old Van Bylen this promotion represents a reward for more than thirty years of loyal service to Henkel, where he steadily has been passing through all career levels since 1984. After a start as a sales representative for detergents in Belgium he moved to the head office in Düsseldorf in 1992, where he gradually grew into the strong man behind Henkel cosmetics.
A CEO of Henkel, Hans Van Bylen is the successor to the Dane Kasper Rorsted, who in turn becomes CEO of sports shop giant Adidas. The appointment of Van Bylen as the new CEO of Henkel carries the challenge to successfully keep on facing competition with other multinationals such as Unilever and Procter & Gamble.
The history of Henkel goes back to 1876, when Fritz Henkel in Aken launched a first “universal detergent”. Today, the multinational employs approximately 50,000 people in more than 120 countries all over the world. In Belgium there are branches in Brussels, Drogenbos and Westerlo. Some of the best-known brands of the Henkel group are Persil, Dixan, Schwarzkopf, Fa, Pritt and Pattex.
