Dr. Frank Höfer joined the company as Managing Director on August 01, 2021. After holding management positions at German and international medium-sized companies in the chemical industry, he joins proFagus and takes over the overall management of the group of companies. In his previous positions, he very successfully implemented the development of innovative products, the establishment of new business areas and the increase in efficiency of business processes, mainly in the areas of business development and strategy development.

Dr. Höfer began his professional career at BASF AG in Ludwigshafen in 2001 after studying chemistry in Erlangen-Nuremberg, at the University of Cambridge (UK), in Marburg and earning his doctorate at the Technical University of Munich. He then took on positions of responsibility and, as managing director, managed medium-sized companies owned by families and Japanese investors. With his keen interest in the further development of chemical processes and the introduction of new products, especially those based on sustainable and regional raw materials, he will drive the alignment of proFagus as the European market leader in the field of fully integrated biorefineries for specialty chemical products.

Kai-Uwe Pinne, shareholder and sales head for proFagus GmbH, has been with proFagus since 2001 (until 2005 Chemviron GmbH) and to a large extent has been driving corporate expansion in the brands „Der Sommer-Hit“ and „Grillis“.

Previously he was with Molkerei Müller in Aretsried for 8 years, latterly as area head for Saarland and Hessen and parts of North Rhine Westphalia.

Kai-Uwe Pinne began his professional career with Sügro GmbH in food sales and non-food products and later for 8 years with Hoppe GmbH in Hannoversch Münden in purchases and sales. Hoppe GmbH is today merged with Edeka.

Kai-Uwe Pinne is a trained wholesale and export trader.

Before joining the company and after the school-leaving examination at Eichsfeld Gymnasium Duderstadt and studying mechanical/process engineering at Technical University Clausthal graduate engineer (Technical University) Bernward Wosnitza – shareholder, authorised signatory, Natural Additives Business Unit Manager–began his working life in 1993 at PWE GmbH, an engineering firm for planning thermal afterburning and energy plant.

In the context of this activity he calculated material flows at proFagus’s erstwhile pressure vessel unit and was in charge of construction and commissioning as site supervisor.

Later he was in charge for ESP*GEKO GmbH in Munich of thermal power stations, which the company looked after from site development to basic planning and approval planning through to construction. This role involved developing several of the biomass thermal power stations currently operated in Germany.

After joining the company in 1997 as operating engineer he holds profit centre responsibility for the Natural Additives Business Unit with products like acetic acid, smoke flavouring, charcoal grit and tar products. Further he is responsible for process optimisation and cooperates on corporate strategic development.

Diek Tijsseling is responsible for proFagus´ Natural Additives business with focus on optimization and growth of the business. Diek graduated in Chemistry at Delft University of Technology as well as in Business Administration at Twente University in the Netherlands.

Following various commercial roles at DSM, Arizona Chemical and Honeywell, Diek worked since early 2008 as Business Manager Industrial Wax Europe in Hamburg at both Sasol Wax and H&R Wax. In October 2017 he joined proFagus.