Changes in the leadership team of Electronics

The Electronics business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, which operates as EMD Electronics in the United States and Canada, today announced some leadership changes.

06 Aug 2021 | Darmstadt, Germany
  • Dorothea Wenzel, Head of Surface Solutions, decided to leave Electronics
  • Jeff White, currently Head of Delivery Systems & Services, becomes Head of Surface Solutions
  • Katherine Dei Cas takes over Jeff White’s current role
  • The personnel changes will take effect on September 1, 2021

The Electronics business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, which operates as EMD Electronics in the United States and Canada, today announced some leadership changes. Effective September 1, 2021, Jeff White, currently Head of Delivery Systems & Services (DS&S), succeeds Dorothea Wenzel as Head of Surface Solutions and relocates to Germany. Katherine Dei Cas (Kate), General Manager DS&S for North America and Europe, takes over Jeff White’s current role.

Dorothea Wenzel, currently Head of Surface Solutions, has taken the personal decision to build the next stage of her career outside of the company after 17 successful years with the company.

“Dorothea has had a significant impact on the business and its people throughout her 17-year tenure, which included her role as Chief Financial Officer of our Healthcare sector and as Head of the global Fertility Franchise. Over the past three years, she has contributed significantly to the successful transformation of the Electronics business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, first as Head of Finance & Strategy and since 2019 as the Head of the global business unit Surface Solutions. It is with great regret that we see Dorothea leaving and we would like to thank Dorothea for her outstanding contributions and great leadership,” said Kai Beckmann, CEO Electronics and member of the Executive Board of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.

Jeff White succeeds Dorothea Wenzel as Head of Surface Solutions. He will relocate to Darmstadt as soon as the situation allows and will continue to be a member of the Electronics Executive Committee (ELEC), reporting directly to Kai Beckmann. “I’m convinced that Jeff White will drive Surface Solutions to new heights, building on his proven business acumen, leadership capabilities and his international experience,” said Kai Beckmann.

Kate Dei Cas will take over the leadership of the DS&S business from Jeff White. She will be based in Tempe, Arizona, USA, and will become a member of the ELEC, reporting directly to Kai Beckmann. “As General Manager North America and Europe for DS&S, Kate Dei Cas not only has existing relationships with our key customers and understands our business very well, she also has a proven track record in successfully managing an important part of the DS&S business,” commented Kai Beckmann.

Beckmann continued: “The fact that we could fill the two open positions again with internal candidates is another evidence for the strength of Electronics’ succession management and talent bench. With the promotions of Jeff and Kate, we also take another important step to fully integrate legacy Versum and to offer great new opportunities to talents that joined the company with the acquisition.”

About Jeff White

Jeff White has served as Head of DS&S and as US President of the Electronics business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, since the integration of Versum Materials. Jeff spent his 25-year career in the electronics industry in various roles across the segments at Air Products and Versum Materials. Jeff White is a seasoned, global, materials-industry executive with outstanding customer-facing negotiation and closing skills. He is an expert at leading the change necessary to improve the performance of well-established businesses.

About Kate Dei Cas

Kate Dei Cas currently serves as the General Manager of the North America/Europe DS&S business. She has demonstrated more than 20 years of experience in the delivery and storage of specialty gases and chemicals for the semiconductor and display industries. In her current position, Kate is responsible for managing a cross-functional regional team supporting manufacturing, engineering, quality, field services, and sales for specialty gas and chemical equipment product lines and services.

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About Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany

Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, a leading science and technology company, operates across healthcare, life science and electronics. Around 58,000 employees work to make a positive difference to millions of people’s lives every day by creating more joyful and sustainable ways to live. From advancing gene editing technologies and discovering unique ways to treat the most challenging diseases to enabling the intelligence of devices – the company is everywhere. In 2020, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, generated sales of € 17.5 billion in 66 countries.

The company holds the global rights to the name and trademark “Merck” internationally. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the business sectors of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany operate as EMD Serono in healthcare, MilliporeSigma in life science, and EMD Electronics. Since its founding in 1668, scientific exploration and responsible entrepreneurship have been key to the company’s technological and scientific advances. To this day, the founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed company.

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