Merck KGaA has appointed Joachim Christ as its new chief procurement officer (CPO), succeeding Friedhelm Felten in that role.

Mr. Christ is currently head of Group Controlling & Risk Management. In his new position as CPO, Mr. Christ will report to Kai Beckmann, chief administration officer and member of the executive board. The successor to Mr. Christ as head of group controlling will be announced in due course, said the company. Mr. Christ joined Merck KGaA in 2011. Prior to that, he held various positions within finance at Hoechst, Aventis, and Lanxess.

Effective April 1, Mr. Felten will succeed Michael Heckmeier, currently head of the Pigments & Functional Materials business unit, in that role, and Mr. Heckmeir will become head of the Display Materials business unit with the Performance Materials business. Both Mr. Heckmeier and Mr. Felten will report to Walter Galinat, CEO Performance Materials and member of the Executive Board.

Source: Merck KGaA