Anna Bertona to become Azelis Group CEO effective January 2024

Azelis Group NV, a global leader in specialty chemicals and food ingredients based in Antwerp, Belgium, has named Anna Bertona as its next chief executive officer (CEO), effective January 1, 2024. Bertona will take over from Dr. Hans Joachim Müller, who plans to retire at the end of 2023. Additionally, Bertona is set to join the Azelis Board of Directors.

With nearly a decade at Azelis, Bertona brings extensive industry knowledge. As the CEO and president for Europe, Middle East and Asia (EMEA) since 2016, she bolstered principal relationships, championed innovation, and expanded the EMEA business from EURO749 million (USD821.9 million) in 2016 to EUR1,812 million (USD1,988 million) in 2022. Starting as the head of Strategy in 2013, Bertona played a pivotal role in shaping the group’s direction. Her commitment to sustainability has been evident as the Executive Committee’s sponsor for the group’s green initiatives.

Müller’s decade-long tenure as group CEO saw Azelis transition from a specialty distributor focused on EMEA with EUR875 million (USD960 million) in revenues in 2012 to a global powerhouse with EUR4,109 (USD4,509.4 million) in revenues in 2022. His leadership, culminating in Azelis’ successful initial public offering (IPO) on Euronext Brussels in 2021, has been transformative.

Dr. Antonio Trius, chair of Azelis’ Board, expressed confidence in Bertona’s leadership and gratitude for Müller’s transformative role, noting the near 5x revenue increase under his watch.

Müller praised Bertona’s capabilities, foreseeing continued growth for Azelis under her leadership. Bertona expressed her commitment to innovation, digitalisation, and sustainability, aiming to further Azelis’ growth trajectory.