Consumables

LANXESS expands political communication worldwide

Thursday 13. January 2011 - New Berlin liaison office opens in January

LANXESS office in Brussels planned for spring 2011
Intensified political dialogue in the BRIC countries
Specialty chemicals group LANXESS is intensifying communication with political and social leaders on a global level.
The first step is the expansion of the group’s presence in Berlin with the move to a new liaison office in Germany’s capital, Berlin, that will open on January 20 prior to the “LANXESS Kick-Off Berlin 2011” event. The group further plans to open its own office in Brussels in spring 2011.
LANXESS is also intensifying the political dialogue in its global growth markets on relevant issues in the area of energy and environmental policy, and in the university and education sector. These efforts primarily target the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) as well as South Korea, Japan, Singapore and the United States.
“Maintaining a continuous exchange with political and social leaders is an integral part of corporate responsibility at LANXESS. By increasing our involvement, we want to shape political and social processes more actively and internationally than before, and establish the framework conditions required for sustainable development,” explains Christoph Sieder, Head of Corporate Communications at LANXESS AG.
LANXESS’ political communication focuses on the discussion of issues affecting corporate strategy, including eco-friendly product and process innovations, the development of raw material and energy markets, and labor market and educational issues.
New Public Affairs team
To support its expanded activities, the group has appointed a new Public Affairs team. The new office in Berlin will also be headed by Johannes Neukirchen. Formerly head of a government ministerial department, he has already represented the Group’s interests in the capital city in the past. He will now be supported by Benjamin Simonic, who transferred to LANXESS from the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI). The new representative for LANXESS in Brussels is Stefan Borst, previously EU correspondent for the German news magazine Focus. Silke Jansen will continue to be responsible for political communication at LANXESS’ German production locations and to head up the global education initiative. Axel Vassen will coordinate all global-level activities relating to public affairs and corporate responsibility. Responsible overall for the field of Public Affairs is Christoph Sieder, Head of Corporate Communications at LANXESS.