Dr. Christian Friege leaves CEWE

The Board of Trustees of the Neumüller CEWE COLOR Stiftung, the general partner of CEWE Stiftung & Co. KGaA announced Dr. Christian Friege, chairman of the Board of Management of the Neumüller CEWE COLOR Stiftung, is leaving the company at the end of the year “at his own request and in agreement with the Board of Trustees of the Neumüller CEWE COLOR Stiftung, CEWE Stiftung & Co. KGaA and the beneficiary Alexander Neumüller.” Dr. Friege will be taking on a new professional challenge, the statement said. He will not, as originally planned, be appointed to the Board of Management by the beneficiary Alexander Neumüller.

Back in April, in a rare display of public disclosure, the board of trustees of CEWE Color claimed Dr. Friege  “massively obstructed” diversity and the appointment of a woman as a board member, which led to his contract not being renewed. Later that month, Neumüller, as the beneficiary of the Neumüller CEWE COLOR Foundation and heir of the company founder, announced the appointment of Dr. Friege to the Board of Management of the Neumüller CEWE COLOR Foundation upon the expiry of his current contract.

Dr. Friege has been a member of the Executive Board since Jan. 1, 2016, and has been its chairman since July 1, 2017. During this time, important acquisitions were made with WhiteWall and Cheerz, among others, and fundamental innovations, such as the use of artificial intelligence, were introduced. Turnover and earnings increased significantly, and the company’s dividend grew steadily each year. For 2022, the company most recently confirmed a positive outlook when it presented its Q3 figures.

“I have enjoyed leading the company with great commitment over the years,” says Dr. Friege. “I would like to thank all my colleagues at CEWE for the outstandingly good cooperation over the past years.”

“We thank Dr. Christian Friege for his commitment and the work he has done,” says Dr. Rolf Hollander, chairman, the Board of Trustees. “CEWE has developed very solidly under his leadership. We wish Dr. Friege all the best for his future career.”

Yvonne Rostock, already announced as Dr. Friege’s successor, will take over as Chairman of the Board of Management of the Neumüller CEWE COLOR Stiftung and thus of the CEWE Group on March 1, 2023. During the two-month transition period, the members of the Board of Management will jointly manage the company.