Management Board

Raymond Yap, Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Raymond Yap was born 1954. After graduating from University he joined Exxon Chemical where he held positions in sales, marketing and general management in Asia, the US and Europe. In 1992 he became Director of Exxon Chemical Malaysia. Yap then joined Henkel in 1997. He was appointed CEO of Cognis Oleochemicals Malaysia, a 50:50 joint venture between Cognis and Golden Hope, in January 2006.

Dr. Marco Panichi was born in 1966. He took up the position of CFO of Cognis Oleochemicals on January 1, 2006. Before joining Cognis Oleochemicals he was Vice President Corporate Development at Cognis. Panichi studied economics and business administration in G?ttingen (Germany). After obtaining his doctorate, he joined Henkel in 1997, where he worked in Corporate Controlling/Strategy. In 1999, when Cognis was founded, he assumed senior responsibilities in the Corporate Development department. In 2002, he was appointed Vice President Corporate Development.

Azuddin Rahman took up the position as Vice President Cognis Oleochemicals Asia in October 2006. He studied Industrial Chemistry at the Mara University of Technology, Malaysia and started his career at Colgate Palmolive Malaysia in 1986. Azuddin joined Henkel Chemicals Malaysia as Product Group Manager in 1990, and became Regional Product Manager, Surfactants at the Henkel Asia-Pacific Regional Headquarters in 1997. With the setting-up of Cognis, Azuddin's international assignments began in 1998 as Marketing Manager, Asia-Pacific based in Cognis Japan. Two years later, he moved to Thailand to take over the position as Regional Business Director for Cognis Care Chemicals until 2004. Prior to joining Cognis Oleochemicals in October 2006, he was President Director of PT Cognis Indonesia and Regional Sales Director for Care Chemicals, Asia-Pacific.

Andreas Meinz, Vice President Cognis Oleochemicals Europe, Region Europe

Andreas Meinz, born in 1959, was appointed Vice President Cognis Oleochemicals Europe in January 2006. Meinz studied economics and business administration in Cologne (Germany), and in 1985 he started his career in the Marketing department at H?ls Chemicals. After assignments in the US and Brazil he was appointed Director of Contensio GmbH, a carve-out of H?ls AG. In 2000 he took up the position as CEO of Stockhausen GmbH. Before he joined Cognis in 2005, he worked as a management consultant.

Robert J. (Bob) Squires became Vice President, Cognis Oleochemicals Americas in August 2007. Bob joined Cognis Oleochemicals LLC in Cincinnati in March 2006 as Director of Operations and subsequently appointed President of the Company on August 1, 2007. He received his Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo in Canada. Bob has over 26 years of experience in the petrochemical industry, particularly in the area of Environmental Health & Safety, and chemical plant optimization. Prior to joining Cognis Oleochemicals, he worked for 13 years with Huntsman Corporation, managing 9 operating units in several locations in Canada and the United States.