Evonik Group introduces new management structure

• Three Executive Board members instead of seven in future
• Executive Board will concentrate on strategic management
• Changes on the Boards of Management in Chemicals and Energy
• Operational responsibility of the business units to be strengthened

Essen. At today’s meeting chaired by Wilhelm Bonse-Geuking, the Supervisory Board of Evonik Industries AG, Essen (Germany) unanimously approved the proposal put forward by the Executive Board that the management structure of the Executive Board should be revised and the number of members reduced from seven to three. Effective January 1, 2009 the Executive Board will comprise Dr. Klaus Engel (52), who succeeds Dr. Werner Müller (62) as Chairman of the Executive Board on this date, Mr. Ulrich Weber (58), who will be responsible for human resources, and Mr. Heinz-Joachim Wagner (61) as Chief Financial Officer. The Executive Board will therefore focus principally on strategic management functions in the future. The Supervisory Board also appointed Dr. Wolfgang Colberg (49), currently a Member of the Board of Management of BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH, Munich (Germany), as Chief Financial Officer effective April 1, 2009. He succeeds Heinz-Joachim Wagner who will then leave the Group.

Dr. Alfred Oberholz (56), Member of the Executive Board of Evonik Industries and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Management of Evonik Degussa GmbH, and Dr. Alfred Tacke (57), Member of the Executive Board of Evonik Industries and Chairman of the Board of Management of Evonik Steag GmbH, will be leaving the Group on December 31, 2008. Dr. Peter Schörner (49), currently a member of the Executive Board of Evonik Industries, will step down from this position at year-end but will remain Chairman of the Boards of Management of Evonik Immobilien GmbH and Evonik Wohnen GmbH.

Mr. Wilhelm Bonse-Geuking thanked the retiring Chairman of the Executive Board, Dr. Müller, Dr. Oberholz, Dr. Tacke and Dr. Schörner for their outstanding contribution to the successful development of the Evonik Group. "Through his strategic foresight, Dr. Werner Müller has led Evonik into the top league of German industry. The Supervisory Board owes its thanks to him and to his colleagues Dr. Oberholz, Dr. Tacke and Dr. Schörner for that."

The decisions on the reorganization of Evonik’s Executive Board also have a direct impact on the future management of the Chemicals and Energy Business Areas. The Supervisory Boards of Evonik Degussa GmbH and Evonik Steag GmbH took the following decisions at their meetings, which were chaired by Dr. Werner Müller:

In the Chemicals Business Area, Mr. Patrik Wohlhauser (44), Member of the Board of Management of Evonik Degussa GmbH, will succeed
Dr. Engel as Chairman of the Board of Management effective January 1, 2009. The other members will be Mr. Ralf Blauth (57), who retains his post, and a new appointment, Dr. Thomas Haeberle (52), currently Head of the Industrial Chemicals Business Unit. Mr. Heinz-Joachim Wagner, who has so far also been a member of this board, will step down at year-end. The Supervisory Board of Evonik Degussa GmbH also appointed
Dr. Klaus Engel as its Chairman from January 1, 2009. He succeeds Dr. Werner Müller. On behalf of the Supervisory Board, Dr. Werner Müller thanked Dr. Engel, Dr. Oberholz and Mr. Wagner, who are leaving the Evonik Degussa GmbH: "Through their enormous commitment and outstanding insight, they have made our Chemicals Business Area a global market leader in specialty chemicals." Further, he wished Mr. Wohlhauser, Mr. Haeberle and Mr. Blauth continued success in their future posts.

In the Energy Business Area, Mr. Joachim Rumstadt (43), currently a Member of the Board of Management of Evonik Steag GmbH, has been appointed Chairman as of January 1, 2009. His colleagues on the Board of Management will be Dr. Wolfgang Cieslik (56), Mr. Karl Schnadt (53) and Mr. Alfred Geissler (51). Mr. Geissler is currently a Member of the Board of Management and Labor Director at Vattenfall Europe, Berlin. Effective January 1, 2009 he will take over from Dr. Jörg Terrahe (55) who is leaving the Board of Management of Evonik Steag GmbH at the end of this year. The Supervisory Board of Evonik Steag GmbH also appointed Dr. Klaus Engel as its Chairman from January 1, 2009. He succeeds Dr. Werner Müller. On behalf of the Supervisory Board, Dr. Werner Müller thanked Dr. Terrahe for his outstanding service as long-standing Labor Director of the Energy Business Area and added: "I am sure that with Mr. Rumstadt, Mr. Geissler, Mr. Cieslik and Mr. Schnadt our Energy Business Area will continue its successful development."

"Through the clear separation of strategic and operational functions, Evonik is systematically positioning the Group for profitable growth and sustained value creation," commented Executive Board Chairman
Dr. Müller. The future Chairman of the Executive Board, Dr. Klaus Engel, stressed: "The new management structure is a key step in the sustained expansion of our good market positions and to enable us to emerge strengthened from the global financial and economic crisis." The Chemicals, Energy and Real Estate Business Areas will have greater business responsibility and decision-making powers in the future. "This will support the Executive Board in its focus on strategy and management of the Group and increase the speed of response and efficiency of the Business Areas in their markets," explained Dr. Engel.