Nabaltec AG has announced a change in its Management Board, with Dirk A. Muller set to succeed Gunther Spitzer as Chief Financial Officer and the extension of CEO Johannes Heckmann's contract by five years. The moves underscore the company's commitment to continuity and strategic direction.
Gunther Spitzer, who has been a member of the three-member Management Board as CFO since 2017, will not extend his contract, which expires on 31 December 2026, and will retire at his own request after nearly 45 years with the company. The Supervisory Board has appointed Dirk A. Muller to the Management Board with a contractual term of four years as of 1 December 2026.
"With Dirk A. Muller, Nabaltec has gained a financial manager with many years of experience in management positions and extensive expertise in financial management, capital market processes and corporate organization," said Johannes Heckmann, CEO of Nabaltec AG. "Through his work on Nabaltec's Supervisory Board, Mr. Muller already knows our company, our structures and our business processes very well. This familiarity will enable a quick and smooth transition to the role of CFO and will provide valuable impetus for the further development of Nabaltec."
Dirk A. Muller studied business administration in Munster and started his career at Ernst & Young (EY) in Dusseldorf, including a two-year assignment in Boston. After six years, he moved to Jackstadt GmbH as Head of Accounting and Tax before returning to EY in 1999, where he became a partner in the Equity Capital Markets/Transaction Services Division in 2002. In 2003, he took over responsibility for finance, controlling, taxes, investor relations, IT and logistics as Managing Director and CFO at A.T.U in Weiden. He was then CFO of SiC Processing GmbH and later Group CFO of the Onlineprinters Group. Dirk A. Muller has been Group CFO of the Cologne-based Swash Group since September 2024. He is an auditor, tax consultant and CPA. He has been a member of the Supervisory Board of Nabaltec AG since 2024 and holds no further positions on any other supervisory body. He will step down from the Supervisory Board on 30 November 2026.
As Chief Financial Officer, Dirk A. Muller will assume sole responsibility for Finance/Controlling, Administration and Information Technology from 1 January 2027. Until this date, the Management Board of Nabaltec AG will act as a four-member board for a short transitional period.
In addition, the Management Board contract of Johannes Heckmann, CEO of Nabaltec AG, was extended by five years. Nabaltec's Supervisory Board is thus sending another clear signal of stability and continuity in the company's management, underscoring its confidence in the company's successful strategic direction.
“The Supervisory Board has accepted Mr. Gunther Spitzer's decision with great regret. Mr. Spitzer has made a significant contribution to Nabaltec's development in nearly 45 years with the company - as a true home-grown talent - with a high level of expertise, reliability and great personal commitment," explained Gerhard Witzany, Chairman of the Supervisory Board. "We would like to expressly thank him for the extraordinarily long, trustworthy and always very good collaboration."
Nabaltec AG, with registered office in Schwandorf, is a chemicals business that manufactures, develops and distributes specialized products based on aluminum hydroxide and aluminum oxide through its two product segments, "Functional Fillers" and "Specialty Aluminas." The company's product range includes eco-friendly flame retardant fillers and functional additives for the plastics industry, used in cables in tunnels, airports, high-rise buildings and electronic devices, while additives have applications in catalysis and in electric vehicles. Nabaltec also produces specialty oxides for use in technical ceramics, the refractory and polishing industries. The company maintains production sites in Germany and the US.
These leadership changes are expected to ensure a smooth transition and maintain the strategic course set by the outgoing CFO, while the CEO's extended contract provides long-term stability for the company's growth plans.
