From the Sector

RUDOLF, a leading global specialty chemicals company, announces the appointment of Anup Jain as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and member of the Executive Leadership Team, effective June 1, 2025.

Anup joined RUDOLF in January 2024 and has since served as Asia Commercial Director, successfully advancing strategic projects, commercial alignment, and reporting structures across the region. Based in Singapore, Anup has played a pivotal role in enhancing the company’s commercial operations and establishing stronger synergies between global and local teams.

Anup on his new role: “I am truly honored to be appointed CFO. I look forward to working with the leadership team to further strengthen RUDOLF’s financial resilience and to contribute to its sustainable success.”

With a distinguished career in the specialty chemicals industry, Anup brings broad international leadership experience across Finance, Business Management, Commercial, and Supply Chain functions. Prior to joining RUDOLF, he held senior finance and operational roles at globally operating companies in India, Switzerland, and Singapore. He is a Chartered Accountant, holds an MBA, and is a trained Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.

Dr. Wolfgang A. Schumann, Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors says: “We are thrilled to welcome Anup to this new position. His deep understanding of our industry and his proven ability to lead finance functions in complex, international environments make him the ideal choice to support our growth strategy.”

Marcos Furrer, CEO of RUDOLF Holding SE & Co. KG, adds: “Anup is a strategic thinker with strong financial acumen and a collaborative leadership style. With him as CFO, we are well-positioned to align our financial strategy with our innovation roadmap and global expansion objectives.” 

RUDOLF’s decision to elevate Anup to its Executive Leadership Team underlines the Group’s commitment to building a future-focused leadership structure capable of driving innovation, operational excellence, and long-term growth.

Ulrike Reich has been appointed Head Corporate Communications at Autoneum, effective immediately. She succeeds Claudia Güntert, who left the company last year.

Ulrike Reich holds a Master of Arts in communication from the University of Miami, Florida, USA, and a diploma in journalism from the University of Dortmund, Germany. With over 25 years of experience in international communication roles, most recently as Vice President Corporate Communications at Freudenberg Sealing Technologies, she brings extensive expertise in global media relations, executive and crisis communication, branding, and internal communication.

Ulrike Reich is reporting to Eelco Spoelder, CEO Autoneum.

The Supervisory Board of Lenzing AG has appointed Georg Kasperkovitz as a member of the Managing Board and Chief Operations Officer (COO) of Lenzing AG with effect from June 1, 2025. Georg Kasperkovitz (58) brings more than 15 years of experience in various management functions in Europe, North America and Asia – Lenzing’s most important production regions and markets. During his career, Kasperkovitz has held positions including Business Unit CEO at the international packaging and paper company Mondi plc (2016-2019), CEO of Rail Cargo Austria AG (2012-2016) and at the international consulting firm McKinsey (1999-2012, most recently as a partner). Georg Kasperkovitz is a qualified mechanical engineer (Dr. techn., TU Vienna) and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

At Lenzing, as COO in the now four-member Managing Board, he will manage the company-wide fiber production sites and drive forward the ongoing performance program and, thus, operational cost excellence and the transformation of the entire company. He will also take over the management and further development of the site in Lenzing (Upper Austria).

Patrick Lackenbucher, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Lenzing AG, comments: “Lenzing AG has been able to report a continuous increase in earnings in recent quarters – despite the difficult market environment. The current macroeconomic challenges, persistently high energy costs and intensified global competition continue to require full focus on the implementation and further development of the current performance program. Profitability is crucial for Lenzing in order to survive in global competition in the long term and to be able to continue investing in new products and markets. With Georg Kasperkovitz, we are therefore strengthening our Managing Board with sound operational transformation expertise – and relevant experience in the nonwovens market.”

Swissmem textile machinery industry sector elects president and board: The Swiss Textile Machinery Association is the representative body for Switzerland’s providers of textile equipment, systems and services. Its general assembly on May 8 elected experienced industry leaders as president and board members.

The association’s new president is Davide Maccabruni, CEO of Uster Technologies AG. His role is to lead the board in defining strategies and key focus areas. Assessing the challenges facing the industry, Maccabruni states: “The Swiss textile machinery industry still holds unique strengths that can secure its success well into the future. To achieve this, however, we must focus on aligning our capabilities, working together, and supporting one another.”

A new member of the association board has also been elected. He is Martin Zürcher (Heberlein Technology AG), who joins Beat Meienberger (Benninger AG), André Imhof (Autefa Solutions Switzerland AG), Andreas Conzelmann (Jakob Müller AG) and Ralph von Arx (Retech AG), the latter taking on the role of vice-president.

Davide Maccabruni succeeds Ernesto Maurer, the association’s president for the past ten years. Maurer has been an active board member since 2011, becoming president in 2015. During his service, he has made a significant contribution to strengthening the innovative power and international visibility of the Swiss textile machinery industry.

The Swiss Textile Machinery sector was founded in 1940 and is the longest-established industry sector within Swissmem. It currently has 42 affiliated companies, including manufacturers of machines and components, and service providers, for the textile industry. The association supports its members in fostering innovation initiatives and education. A major focus is on joint market access campaigns, through a successful programme of international symposia. Recent events have been held in Mexico and the US, and another is planned for Morocco later this year.

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, proudly announces Carl Cucuzza and Lynda Kelly as the recipients of the 2025 INDA Lifetime Service Awards. Carl and Lynda are being recognized for their key contributions to the advancement of the nonwovens industry and INDA.

“I am thrilled to recognize Carl and Lynda for their exceptional dedication and impactful contributions,” said Matt O’Sickey, PhD, Director of Education & Technical Affairs at INDA. “Their unwavering commitment and tireless advocacy play vital roles in shaping the future of the nonwovens industry. I am looking forward to seeing and giving them their Awards at Hygienix and IDEA®25.”

• Carl Cucuzza will receive his award during the Hygienix™ Conference on November 18th at 4:30 pm.
• Lynda Kelly will receive her award during IDEA®25 on April 29th at 4:45 pm.

Here are the Award recipients:

Carl Cucuzza: INDA Lifetime Service Award
“I am deeply honored and thankful to receive this Lifetime Service Award from INDA. It has been a blessing to collaborate with a close-knit community of dedicated professionals who continually innovate in ways that improve lives while protecting the environment. I’m grateful for the recognition and continue to be excited to see steady growth through the entrepreneurial spirit that is a hallmark of this industry.”

Carl Cucuzza, prior to retirement, was President and Managing Partner of Teknoweb North America, a key supplier of converting equipment for wet and dry wipes, facemasks, and similar disposable products. He also partnered with his son in establishing the Hot Melt Supply Company, which provides service and support for adhesive applications in the disposables, product assembly, and packaging industries.

Prior to that, Carl was General Manager of Newco Enterprises, Inc. and Global Sales and Marketing Manager for the Nonwovens Systems Group of Nordson Corporation. In that role, Carl directly managed the North American and European sales efforts to disposables producers and personally coordinated hot melt systems sales and support activities for a major producer’s global baby diaper production expansion through the 1990s.

Carl is a past board member of INDA, Organizing Committee member, Moderator and Presenter for over 35 years at Vision, WOW, Hygienix, and various other domestic and international conferences. He has been recognized by the state of Georgia with the Award for Product Development and Management Excellence and has received seven patents for machinery and processes for the production of disposable products. He has also published numerous technical papers and articles, consulted on disposables projects, and acted as an expert witness.

Born and raised in Bradford, PA, and living in Monroe, GA, he and his wife Toni have been married for 47 years and have four children and four grandchildren,

Lynda Kelly: INDA Lifetime Service Award
“I am truly humbled and honored to receive the INDA Lifetime Service Award. Growing up in this amazing industry has been a remarkable journey, working alongside so many incredible colleagues across the globe to develop and sell unique nonwoven product solutions and technologies. As an industry, we have achieved so much over the decades, and I am proud to have been part of its evolution. It has truly been an incredible experience!

Lynda Kelly served as Senior Vice President, Americas & Business Development for Suominen Corporation until her retirement in 2023, due to health challenges. She dedicated nearly a decade to Suominen, where she led the Care team then transitioned to lead Americas sales team alongside global product and business development professionals. Under her leadership, the company successfully advanced its sales, market presence, and innovative products to achieve optimal profitability.

Lynda began her career at Kendall, which later merged into International Paper/Veratec and eventually became BBA Nonwovens. Throughout her tenure, she managed sales and marketing across various sectors, advancing into leadership roles. Early in her career, she embraced an expatriate assignment in Toronto, Canada, which provided her with early exposure to the rapidly growing spunmelt market.

In addition to her time at Suominen, Lynda brought deep expertise to the nonwovens industry through 11 years at First Quality Nonwovens, where she helped expand their spunmelt nonwovens offerings in the medical market. She also gained valuable insights into consulting during her two years with John Starr.

A devoted contributor to the nonwovens industry, Lynda remains a long-term supporter of INDA initiatives. She played a significant role as a key member of INDA’s AAMI medical disposable standards committee, helping to shape critical industry-wide guidelines. From 2019 to 2022, she served on the INDA Board of Directors, navigating the challenges and opportunities presented by the pandemic and advocating for collaboration across the sector. While at Suominen, she championed wellness-focused events like the “Run or Walk with Suominen,” blending industry engagement with health, fun, and community.

Lynda’s passion for the nonwovens industry extended beyond her professional contributions. Known for her enthusiasm, she often turned personal encounters into learning opportunities. For example, she would often examine new nonwoven products in a hospital or doctor’s office to spark inspiration. This curiosity drove her to learn more, initiate meaningful conversations, and implement innovative changes within her own teams.

Above all, Lynda cherishes the relationships she developed throughout her career. From colleagues to friends, she believes the most rewarding part of her journey was the people who enriched it. For Lynda, the true heart of the nonwovens industry has always been the connections and partnerships that make it thrive.

The Lenzing Group, a leading provider of regenerated cellulose fibers for the textile and nonwoven industries, announces personnel changes in the company’s Managing Board. The Supervisory Board of Lenzing AG and Dr. Walter Bickel, Chief Transformation Officer of Lenzing AG, have mutually agreed to end the temporary mandate of Mr. Bickel and that Mr. Bickel will step down from his operational activities at the end of March 2025.

Mr. Bickel was appointed to the Managing Board of Lenzing AG as of April 15, 2024 to strengthen the Lenzing Managing Board and to be responsible for the further development and implementation of the performance program. Under his leadership, a significant overachievement of the planned contributions from the performance program could be realized. The basis for future significant improvement steps is established, and the program has been structured in a way that it can now be continued by Lenzing AG seamlessly.

The Lenzing Group’s holistic performance program pursues the overarching goal of significantly increasing long-term resilience to crises and greater agility in order to respond to market changes. The program initiatives are primarily aimed at improving EBITDA and generating free cash flow through increased profitability and sustainable cost excellence. Numerous activities are being undertaken to strengthen sales, such as acquiring new customers for the most important fiber types and expanding into new markets, which are already having a positive impact on sales. In addition, the Managing Board expects significant cost savings, of which more than EUR 130 m could already be realized in 2024.

In addition to the positive effects in the 2024 financial year on revenue development (+5.7 % increase in revenue compared to 2023) and earnings development (+30.4 % increase in EBITDA compared to 2023), the performance program also improved free cash flow to EUR 167.0 mn (compared to minus EUR 122.8 mn in 2023). Lenzing AG will continue to consistently implement the ongoing performance program with the aim of achieving annualized cost savings of over EUR 180 mn from the 2025 financial year onwards.

The CHT Group announced the appointment of Dr. Lorenza Sartorelli as the new Chief Operating Officer (COO). With this appointment, Dr. Lorenza Sartorelli completes the management board consisting of Dr. Christian Rink (CFO) and Eva Baumann (CEO).

With the now complete management team, the CHT Group is continuing its strategic realignment. As COO, Lorenza Sartorelli will focus her responsibilities on the sustainable global alignment of the CHT Group's operational functions.

Dr. Lorenza Sartorelli has extensive experience and an international career in the chemical industry. She has held various management positions at renowned companies, most recently at Evonik, where she demonstrated her expertise in the areas of operations management, strategic planning and process optimization.

Dr. Lorenza Sartorelli holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Padua and a PhD from the Technical University of Hamburg-Harburg. Her career includes positions at Roche and Evonik, where she was instrumental in optimizing production processes and increasing efficiency.

Dr. Lorenza Sartorelli on her new role: "I am looking forward to further advancing the path CHT has already taken to become a unique provider of sustainable and sustainably produced specialty chemicals. The consistent focus of my role on operational excellence, digitalization and sustainability speaks for itself. Together with Eva Baumann and Christian Rink, I will align the operational side of CHT holistically with the three dimensions of People, Planet and Performance."

Ina Brandes, Minister for Culture and Science of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, visited Institute Director Professor Dr Thomas Gries in person on 7 March to gain an impression of research at Institut für Textiltechnik of RWTH Aachen University. Their tour took them through the central steps of the textile process chain - from primary spinning and fibre spinning processes to modern composites such as fibre composites and textile concrete. The ITA focuses on sustainability, circular economy and bioeconomy and offers comprehensive training programmes, from industrial training to doctorates. As a technology driver in textile technology, the ITA emphases on digitalisation and automation and the use of artificial intelligence (AI), especially neural networks, which have been under development at ITA for more than 30 years.

ITA researches and develops technical textiles for the needs of today and tomorrow. This includes, for example, the BIOTURF project. It is part of the BIOTEXFUTURE innovation area for bio-based textile research funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The aim here is to convert the textile value chain from petroleum-based to bio-based. Another major project is WIRKsam Competence Centre. By designing AI-supported work, WIRKsam aims to improve the competitiveness of companies and to make work healthier and more attractive. Other project examples include sustainable pipeline systems for the future, textile recycling and reducing the CO² footprint. ITA is researching, for example, how recyclable insulation textiles can contribute to thermal insulation or how textiles can be used to automatically and sustainably remove oil spills from water. To this end, ITA is active worldwide and internationally, including in cooperation with South Korea on industrial digitalisation and renewable energies, to name just a few examples.

With more than 100 doctoral students and a total of around 400 employees, ITA is one of the five largest institutes at RWTH Aachen University.

Science Minister Ina Brandes: “Prof. Thomas Gries and his team are demonstrating outstanding work at Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) of RWTH Aachen University. For over 90 years, ITA has been researching, developing, and designing advanced textiles – for example sustainable fibres that reduce the use of petroleum-based materials. The different possible uses of the materials are impressive: from artificial soccer turf to sportswear, medical materials such as heart valves, and textile-reinforced concrete for building construction. New technologies and strong networks between science and industry empower ITA to significant textile progress.“

CARBIOS, a pioneer in the development and industrialization of biological technologies to reinvent the life cycle of plastic and textiles, announces the resignation of Philippe Pouletty from term of office as Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director, as well as from his term of office as Chief Executive Officer, a position he had accepted on a transitional basis on 18 December 2024.
 
The Board of Directors has taken note of this decision and thanks Philippe Pouletty for his contribution to CARBIOS' development.

The Board of Directors has appointed Isabelle Parize as Chairwoman of the Board and Vincent Kamel as Chief Executive Officer with immediate effect.
 
Continuing the work already undertaken, Vincent Kamel will focus on successfully executing CARBIOS' strategic objectives, including securing the additional financing needed to build its PET biorecycling plant in Longlaville.

Isabelle Parize is CEO of DELSEY. Isabelle Parize began her career at Procter & Gamble, where she held strategic positions in marketing and brand management for 13 years. She then joined Henkel as Vice President EMEA. On the strength of this experience, she became head of Canal Sat, the French media group. She then pursued her career in the beauty sector, becoming President of the Managing Board of Nocibé, one of France's leading perfume retailers, in 2011. In 2015, she was appointed Managing Director of Douglas AG, a European perfume giant, where she steered the company's expansion and modernization.
 
In 2018, she took a new role as CEO of DELSEY. Between 2021 and 2025, she will continue to support the Group as President of its Supervisory Board. Isabelle Parize has served on Coty Inc.'s Board since 2020.
 
Isabelle Parize has been a member of the CARBIOS Board of Directors since 2022.
 
Vincent Kamel, with over 38 years' experience in the polymer and chemical industries, has held management positions in companies such as Rhône-Poulenc, Rhodia and Solvay, both in France and abroad (China, South Korea, Brazil), notably as General Manager of Solvay's polyamide division, Director of the Coatis business unit and Director for Asia in the engineering plastics sector.
 
Vincent Kamel has been involved in CARBIOS’ development since 2021 as a member of the company's Board of Directors, and since December 2024, as an advisor to CARBIOS’ executive management.

The prize in the ‘Building and Civil Engineering’ category was awarded for the development of Carbon Fibre Stone (CFS). Environmentally friendly CFS can save up to 40 % CO₂ in the construction of house walls. CFS is an innovative material that combines stone and bio-based fibres. It serves as an environmentally friendly replacement for CO₂-intensive concrete in house walls. Each square metre of a CFS wall binds 59 kg of CO₂, while conventional cement walls release 98 kg of CO₂.

The ITA won the second JEC award in the “Sports, Leisure & Recreation” category.

The Honey Roots technology is a sustainable surfboard construction realised through a 3D laminate that improves the mechanics and eliminates the need for consumables for the infusion process. The choice of materials is consistently bio-based or recycled to minimise the carbon footprint.

Project partners were Techno Carbon Technologies GbR and Kanoa Surfboards.

PhD student and project leader Lars Wollert summarises: "These awards are a recognition of our research activities and show what the ITA stands for the development of innovative products and processes together with a great network of industrial partners, openness for versatile application areas in which fibres of all kinds bring advantages and research in the context of sustainability."