WESEL, Germany – The Supervisory Board of the specialty chemicals Group ALTANA AG has elected Dr. Klaus-Jürgen Schmieder to be the company’s new Chairman. Schmieder, a former Management Board member of L’Air Liquide S.A., had previously served as chair of ALTANA AG's Audit Committee and has been a member of the company's Supervisory Board since 2001. Dr. Monika Engel-Bader, President of Chemetall until 2011, Dr. Lothar Steinebach, a member of the Management Board of Henkel until the end of June 2012, and Dr. Antonio Trius, CEO of Cognis until 2010, were newly elected to the Supervisory Board. Ulrich Gajewiak and Susanne Klatten remain deputy chairpersons of the Supervisory Board. Dr. Lothar Steinebach was elected as new Chairman of the Audit Committee.

Dr. Fritz Fröhlich, the previous Chairman of the Supervisory Board, as well as Dr. Helmut Eschwey and Dr. Carl Voigt, retired from the Supervisory Board upon the expiration of their term of office.