Evonik has appointed Dr. Max Preisenberger as the new head of the Catalysts business line. Preisenberger, who was previously responsible for finance and Strategy in the Specialty Additives division, takes over from Sanjeev Taneja, who has retired.

Evonik is a global leader in the catalyst and adsorbents industry, producing innovative and sustainable catalyst products for the chemical industry worldwide. In order to be close to its customers, Evonik has production sites on four continents and seven R&D centers worldwide.

In his new position overseeing Evonik’s catalysts and adsorbents business line, Preisenberger will be responsible for driving growth-focused strategy and global business development.

With a dual background in chemistry and economics, Preisenberger has an excellent track record and brings a wealth of experience to the position, with two decades spent working across the Evonik Group, including assignments in all three growth divisions: Smart Materials, Nutrition & Care and Specialty Additives.

Commenting on his appointment, Preisenberger says: “It’s an honor to be appointed as head of the Catalysts business line with its impressive global footprint and strong portfolio – and I look forward to building on Sanjeev’s strong legacy. We are leaders within the industry, and my aim is to continue this journey and deliver on our ambitious growth agenda throughout 2024 and beyond. With 80% of chemical products manufactured using catalytic processes, catalysts are an important value generator within the industry – and our outlook of ‘think global, act local’ provides us solid footing for this path.”

Examples of this include the new Alkoxides plant in Singapore, which will provide additional capacity for the Asian region by the end of 2024, and Evonik’s Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) efforts to help the aviation industry become CO₂ neutral.

Preisenberger was awarded a doctorate in Chemistry from the Technical University of Munich and completed an additional university degree in economics.

His professional career at Evonik began in 2000. He went on to hold several positions within Marketing, Controlling and Research & Development and Applied Technology, working in Germany, France and the US.

Preisenberger is married with four children and enjoys performing classical music and visiting the opera in his spare time.