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Kai Beckmann is CEO of Electronics and has been a Member of the Executive Board of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany since 2011.

He took on responsibility for the Performance Materials business sector in September 2017 and steered its comprehensive, multi-year transformation into today’s Electronics business. Under his leadership, Electronics has emerged as a global industry leader in semiconductor and optical technologies [and materials] following several pivotal acquisitions and execution of a deliberate growth strategy. In addition, he acts as Country Speaker for Germany.

Before being appointed CEO of Electronics, Kai served as a Member of the Executive Board at Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and was the Group’s Chief Administration Officer with responsibility over several key group functions, including Human Resources, Business Technology, Procurement, Inhouse Consulting, Site Operations and the Business Services function. 

He has held global roles of increasing responsibility since joining the company in 1989, notably Chief Information Officer and Managing Director of the companies operations in Singapore and Malaysia.  

Kai was named Chair of the Bundesdruckerei-Gruppe Supervisory Board in May 2023 and he became a Vice President of the BDA, the Confederation of German Employers' Associations, in 2017. From 2017 to 2024, he served as President of the German Federation of Chemical Employers’ Associations (BAVC), representing 1700 member companies from the chemical and pharmaceutical sector. 

Kai was born on 13 September 1965 in Hanau, Germany. He holds a degree in computer science and a doctorate in economics from the Technical University of Darmstadt. 
 
Responsibility for Enabling functions      

• Patents & Scientific Information 

External positions 

• Confederation of German Employers' Associations (BDA), Vice President 
• Bundesdruckerei GmbH, Chairman of the Supervisory Board 
• Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI), International Board Member 
• Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research IGD, Chairman of the Advisory Board 
• acatech - National Academy of Science and Engineering, Member of the Senate 
• TU Darmstadt, Member of the University Council