German plastics processor Röchling (Mannheim; www.roechling.com) has appointed Raphael Wolfram, head of the firm’s automotive division, to its group executive board, with immediate effect.

Wolfram joined Röchling as chief finance officer of the automotive operation in May 2019, and was promoted to the top job at the division in September 2021, after Hans-Peter Knaebel, his predecessor and group chief executive, unexpectedly announced his departure from the firm (see Plasteurope.com 01.09.2021). A former merchant banker with Goldman Sachs International, Wolfram earned his plastics credentials working for Austrian foam manufacturer Greiner (Kremsmünster; www.greiner.at) as head of the company’s corporate centre in Bejing, and later managing director of Geiner’s packaging operation in Turkey.

Röchling operates plants in 90 locations worldwide, employing around 11,100 people. In 2020 it reported sales of EUR 2.04 bn.