Knud Müller strengthens RKW Board as new CFO

Setting the course for further growth

Mannheim, 15 March 2021 – The RKW Group is continuing on its successful course. Building on a good business result in the past year, the leading international film manufacturer is setting the stage for further growth. To this end, Knud Müller will join the Executive Board as the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) on April 1, 2021, under the chairmanship of Harald Biederbick.

The 50-year-old finance expert comes from the U.S. Danaher Group, where he has held a number of management positions in both Germany and the United States since 2007 - most recently as Group CFO for various companies in Danaher's Life Sciences division. Prior to that, the business graduate worked for the Siemens Group worldwide for more than ten years. For his new role as CFO of the RKW Group, Müller is moving with his family from California to the Mannheim area.

"The positive business development in the past year is an incentive for us to continue on our chosen course," says Dr. Rudolf Wehrli, Chairman of the Supervisory Board. With the expansion of the Executive Board, the company is now creating the conditions for further growth, adds CEO Harald Biederbick. "Our goal is to also be able to successfully implement larger M&A projects or post-merger integrations. We are setting ourselves up for this in good time with an expanded Executive Board."

Focus on new, promising markets

Profitable, sustainable growth and continuous improvement are also the focus for Knud Müller. "In a difficult environment marked by the Corona pandemic, RKW took a significant step forward last year," says the 50-year-old. "As one of the world's leading film manufacturers, we are now turning our attention to new, promising markets - for example in Asia or North America. I am particularly looking forward to this challenge."

Founded in 1957 in Worms as "Rheinische Kunststoffwerke," the RKW Group had completed a reorganization of its shareholder structure in 2019 and moved its corporate headquarters to Mannheim in 2020. In addition to CEO Harald Biederbick and CFO Knud Müller, the Executive Board includes Executive Vice Presidents Roger Chantillon (Sales & Marketing) and Dr. Alexander Wansel (Operations).

About the RKW Group

The RKW Group is an independent, privately owned company headquartered in Mannheim, Germany and one of the world’s foremost manufacturers of excellent film solutions. RKW is the market leader in the areas of hygiene and agricultural films, films for the beverage industry and packaging for powdery goods. In addition, the company makes films and nonwovens for medical applications, for the chemical and converting industries as well as for the construction sector. RKW’s sustainable films enable its customers to improve the daily life of consumers all over the world.

In the fiscal year 2019, RKW generated total sales of EUR 831 million. About 3,000 employees process 352,000 metric tons of plastic materials at 19 locations around the world. True to the corporate slogan "When excellence matters", the company, which was founded in 1957, offers outstanding performance in terms of quality and service. Respect and reliability are the core values of RKW and form the basis of the company’s success.