Management Board

Chief Executive Officer

Mathias Miedreich joined Umicore and was appointed Chief Executive Officer in October 2021, after serving as Executive Vice-President of the Clean Mobility division of Faurecia, a global automotive supplier with a strong focus on sustainable mobility. Mathias started his career in Strategy Consulting at KPMG and then moved to the automotive industry, in which he accumulated more than 20 years of experience in various senior leadership roles in Europe and Asia. Prior to joining Faurecia in 2013 as their Vice President Strategy & New Technologies for the Clean Mobility business, he worked at Siemens and Continental. Mathias holds a Master’s degree in International Business Management from the Erlangen-Nuremberg Friedrich-Alexander University.

Chief Strategy Officer

Frank Daufenbach was appointed Chief Strategy Officer and joined Umicore’s Management Board in December 2021. He previously served as Vice President Strategy and Marketing of the Clean Mobility business group in Faurecia, a leading global automotive supplier with a strong focus on sustainable mobility. Prior to joining Faurecia, his roles included those of consultant at Monitor Deloitte, KPMG and Oliver Wyman. Frank holds a Master’s Degree at the HEC Business school in Paris, France.

Executive Vice-President Energy & Surface Technologies

Ralph was appointed Executive Vice-President Energy & Surface Technologies in March 2021 after having served as Executive Vice-President Catalysis since February 2019. Prior to that, he occupied successive management functions in the Catalysis segment in Europe and Asia covering process technology, operations, business controlling and general management. Before joining Umicore in 2003, Ralph held management positions in the Degussa group from 1995. He holds a PhD degree in Chemical Engineering from the Erlangen-Nuremberg Friedrich-Alexander University, Germany. 

Chief Financial Officer

Wannes was appointed Chief Financial Officer in October 2022. He joined Umicore in 2005 and accumulated over 10 years’ experience as a controller of several business units, building up a strong expertise in financial controlling including strategic planning, introducing new systems and managing financial risk. Subsequently Wannes held positions in general management in Belgium and France, and served as Senior Vice President for Electro-Optic Materials. Prior to Umicore, Wannes worked for PriceWaterhouseCoopers in audit & advisory. Wannes holds a Master's degree in Business Engineering from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and an MBA from the Vlerick Business School.

Executive Vice-President ESG & General Counsel

Géraldine was appointed General Counsel of the Group in 2009 and joined the Management Board in 2015. She is also responsible for ESG, Environment, Health & Safety, procurement and internal audit. She started her career at the international law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton before joining GDF Suez (now Engie) in 2001, where she was Electrabel’s Chief Legal Officer for Southern Europe, France and new European markets. Géraldine’s career includes periods working and living in the US, Germany, Italy and Belgium. She studied law in Belgium and Germany before obtaining her Master of Laws at the University of Chicago.

Executive Vice-President People & Organization 

Ana Fonseca Nordang was appointed Executive Vice-President People and Organization on September 1st 2023. She brings over 20 years of international experience in various executive human resources roles and spent the largest part of her career at Equinor, previously Statoil, where most recently she served as Senior Vice President Renewables. Prior to that, she was the group’s Chief Human Resources Officer. Ana holds a Bachelor Degree in Politics & International Relations from the University of Kent, Canterbury, UK and an MBA from the George Washington  University School of Business, USA.

Executive Vice President & Chief Technology Officer

Geert Olbrechts was appointed Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice-President on August 1st 2023. Geert began his career at Umicore in 2000 and currently serves as Senior Vice President Research & Technology and Supply at Umicore’s Automotive Catalysts (AC) business unit, having held different functions in controlling and product management in the same unit. Prior to joining AC in 2010 Geert occupied different positions in Research & Development and served as operations manager in the Precious Metals Refining business unit. Geert has a PhD in Physical Chemistry from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, and an Executive MBA from Belgium’s Vlerick Management School.

Executive Vice-President Catalysis

Bart Sap was appointed Executive Vice-President Catalysis on March 1, 2021. He joined Umicore in 2004 as a controller for Cobalt & Specialty Materials and, after successive assignments in Korea and Belgium covering finance, supply of raw materials, business development and refining operations, he became Senior Vice-President for Cobalt & Specialty Materials and Supply at the beginning of 2020. Bart holds a Master’s Degree in Commercial Science from Vlekho in Brussels, Belgium, with majors in Accountancy and Taxation.

Executive Vice-President Recycling 

Veerle Slenders was appointed Executive Vice-President Recycling as of June 1, 2023. She previously served as President Region Europe West at Linde Group, global multinational chemical company, active in industrial and medical gases. Veerle holds a Master's Degree in Chemical Engineering with a focus on industrial chemistry and environment from the University of Hasselt, Belgium, as well as a Postgraduate in Business Administration and Management from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium.