thyssenkrupp Materials Services appoints Carl Brockmeyer as CEO of Distribution & Trading business unit

Carl Brockmeyer will become CEO of the Distribution & Trading business unit at thyssenkrupp Materials Services on December 1, 2025. Carl Brockmeyer will take over from Detlef Schotten, who will retire from thyssenkrupp Materials Services in March 2026 after more than 30 years with the company, following a transition and handover period.

Ilse Henne, CEO of thyssenkrupp Materials Services: “With Carl Brockmeyer, we are gaining an experienced leader with broad industry experience for our distribution and trading business. His contacts with various customer industries that are important to us and his many years of international experience, particularly in North America, will help us continue our transformation from a pure materials distributor to a service provider. At the same time, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Detlef Schotten for his work for our company. He has not only accompanied the development of many areas of our company over decades, but has also had a profound impact on them – operationally, strategically, and culturally. On behalf of the entire Executive Board of thyssenkrupp Materials Services, I am very grateful to him for this.”

Carl Brockmeyer has been working in international industrial companies for around 20 years and brings with him extensive experience in strategic business development as well as in the areas of service and digitalization. He has held various positions at Oerlikon and Atlas Copco. At Atlas Copco, he was President & General Manager of the Leybold brand's North American business until 2020. He was then appointed President of the Scientific Vacuum Division, a position he held until recently. Carl Brockmeyer studied economics in Milan, Stockholm, and Boston.

Materials as the foundation for the transformation to a service provider

With over 7,000 employees, the Distribution & Trading business unit is the largest unit of thyssenkrupp Materials Services. The distribution business with a strong network in Europe and North America and the global trading business form the traditional foundation of the company. However, material-related services in line with the “Materials as a Service” corporate strategy are also playing an increasingly important role in this area. This includes, for example, the design of supply chains, the outsourcing of warehouse management, and deliveries for maintenance and operation. One focus of the business is in the USA, where thyssenkrupp Materials Services is consistently expanding its service business related to materials and is now one of the top 20 providers.