The WACKER ACADEMY Team of Instructors

Dr. Hartmut Ackermann

Dr. Hartmut Ackermann studied chemistry in Marburg an der Lahn, earning his PhD in inorganic chemistry. He joined WACKER in 2000 as a process chemist for the methyl resin plant. Alongside his work at WACKER, Dr. Ackermann was active in R&D support in the field of industrial coatings at Akzo. Since 2006, he has been technical marketing manager for Construction Chemicals, supporting customers in EMEA/LATAM. Dr. Ackermann also has several years’ experience as a customer-training instructor.

Dr. Udo Anders

Dr. Udo Anders studied chemistry at TU München earning his PhD in the field of polymer chemistry. From 2003 to 2015 he worked for Baerlocher GmbH and since 2015 he has been active for WACKER SILICONES. From 2015 to 2020 he worked as a Technical Marketing Manager at CONSTRUCTION CHEMICALS. He was responsible for water-repellant treatments for concrete protection with a focus on surface treatment and integral waterproofing as well as for the new binder technology for concrete floor protection based on SILRES ® BS 6920. From 2020 to 2022 he worked as Technical Marketing Manager at INNOVATION HUB FIBER COMPOSITES. Since 2022 he has been active as Business Development Manager at CONSTRUCTION CHEMICALS & COATINGS with focus on surface protection.

Lisa Aue

Since completing her chemical training in 2015, Lisa Aue has been working at WACKER’s Personal Care department, where her focus in the technical laboratory is on haircare applications. In 2021, she completed advanced training to become a state-certified chemical technician. She offers sales managers and distributors WACKER ACADEMY courses on BELSIL® products and their potential applications.

Dr. Gerhard Beer

Dr. Gerhard Beer studied chemistry, writing his doctoral dissertation on physical-organic chemistry. Since 2001, he has held various positions at Wacker Chemie AG, in both R&D and application technology for personal care. He is currently in charge of the laboratory for hair care development and is the technical contact person for key account customers, and also for the EMEA region.

Michaela Betz

Michaela Betz completed her training to become a chemical lab technician in 2020 and, after two years at the Consortium, is now employed in the Personal Care department where her focus is on haircare. She offers WACKER ACADEMY courses on cosmetic products in our BELSIL® line.

Eva-Maria Bienert

Eva-Maria Bienert started her career as a chemistry laboratory assistant in 1982 at the “Vereinigten Aluminium Werken” in Töging. She joined WACKER’s “Research in Silanes” department in 1986. From 2001 to 2011, she held frequent training programs for distributors and customers within the Textiles BT. After joining the “Personal Care” department, she has held several training programs for distributors and customers on the topic of “Silicones in Cosmetics.”

Dr. Christof Brehm

Dr. Christof Brehm studied chemistry and made his doctoral thesis in organic chemistry at the university Saarbrücken. He started his career in various positions of Research and Development at the Max-Planck-Institute Kohlenforschung (Mühlheim/Ruhr), ALTANA Pharma AG as well as at BASF SE. In 2008, he began to work at WACKER Chemie AG in the group of Innovation Silicones. Since the year 2017, he leads as Technical Manager the application laboratory for developments in the field of Household Care and is in this respect the technical contact for all customers of the EMEA region.

Susanne Dachgruber

After completing her chemical training in 2001, Susanne Denk worked in quality control at Siltronic AG. Since 2013, she has been employed at WACKER’s Personal Care unit, where she works in the technical lab and is responsible for tissue applications. In 2016, she completed advanced training as a WACKER lab technician certified by the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK). She offers WACKER ACADEMY courses on tissue products and applications from our LIOSIL® portfolio.

Rebecca Felsing

Rebecca Felsing began her training as a chemical lab technician in 2009 and has already gained experience in various laboratories, such as quality control, analytical services and application technology. After completing her training in 2013, she worked in reaction safety for several years, before joining the Personal Care department in 2019. She works in the applications lab there and is responsible for skin and color care applications. By training to become a WACKER lab technician, she is also expanding her knowledge of the entire WACKER CHEMIE AG portfolio.
She offers WACKER ACADEMY courses on cosmetic products in our BELSIL® line.

Tobias Franzke

Tobias Franzke has worked at WACKER since completing his chemical training in 2006. After positions at Pulp & Paper and Household Care, he joined Personal Care in 2016. He works in the technical lab there and is responsible for skin and color care applications. He holds WACKER ACADEMY courses on cosmetic products in our BELSIL® line.

Dr. Tassilo Habereder

Dr. Tassilo Habereder studied chemistry and wrote his PhD thesis in inorganic chemistry. Before he joined Wacker Chemie AG he had worked in various positions for Ciba Speciality Chemicals (now BASF). Since 2009, he has been working as technical manager and laboratory head for Personal Care applications at Wacker Chemie AG. Moreover he works as Global Technical Champion for Wacker Skin and Color Care applications.

Susanne Hecht

Since completing her chemical training in 2013, Susanne Hecht has been working at WACKER SILICONES. She works for the Construction Chemicals team, where she is responsible for facade impregnation, anti-stain and product enhancement applications. In 2018, she completed advanced training as a WACKER lab technician certified by the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK). She offers WACKER ACADEMY courses on applications in our SILRES® line.

Dr. Dieter Heldmann

Dr. Dieter Heldmann studied at the University of Regensburg, earning a doctorate in organic chemistry. Following a postdoctoral period at ETH Zurich, he started his career at WACKER’s Corporate Research & Development department. Since 2006, as senior technical manager, he has supervised the use of silicone products in industrial-coating applications, in particular binders for heat-resistant coatings.

Dr. Hardy Herold

Dr. Hardy Herold studied Chemistry at the Friedrich-Alexander University, Erlangen (Germany), and obtained a doctorate in the field of geophysics. After spending two years at KWU (Siemens subsidiary), he started at WACKER POLYMERS in October 1989, working in Technical Marketing, where he supported customers around the world. During this period, he spent substantial periods abroad, including as technical center head in both Moscow (Russia) and Allentown (USA). Since November 2021, Dr. Herold has been a trainer at WACKER ACADEMY Europe.

Sandra Kaufmann

Sandra Kaufmann completed her chemical training at WACKER in 1999 and after that worked in the central R&D division in Munich. In 2007, she moved to the Burghausen site and worked in various areas of application technology at WACKER SILICONES. Since 2023, she has been responsible for household care applications, impregnations and pharma/food products in the technical laboratory.
She is currently doing further training to become a WACKER lab technician certified by the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK).

Dr. Marion Killat

Dr. Marion Killat studied and received her doctorate in chemistry at the Technical University of Kaiserslautern. Following a post-doctoral stay in the USA, she started her career at WACKER in research and development at WACKER POLYMERS. Shortly after the founding of WACKER ACADEMY, she became a member of the trainer team with a focus on various products and applications of the POLYMERS division. In 2020, she took over the management of WACKER ACADEMY Europe.

Michael Killermann

Michael Killermann joined WACKER in 1992 in the analytical department. From 1996 to 2008, he worked as a lab technician in the Building & Coatings business team, where he was in charge of technical distributor support for industrial coatings. He was recruited to the WACKER ACADEMY training team as a practical instructor in May 2008.

Christina Maria Krüger

Christina Maria Krüger, a WACKER-trained chemical lab technician, has worked in the Personal Care department since 2002. She is responsible for various haircare applications in the technical laboratory.
She offers sales managers and distributors WACKER ACADEMY courses on BELSIL® products and their diverse applications.

Jürgen Kugler

Jürgen Kugler began his chemical training at Hoechst AG in Gendorf in 1988 and then worked in production support for plant protection agents. In 1998, he joined the Household Care department at WACKER SILICONES where he works in the technical lab and is responsible for fabric care applications, antifoam and impregnating agents. In 2000, he completed advanced training as a lab technician certified by the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK).

Dr. Ulrich Lauter

Dr. Ulrich Lauter studied chemistry in Regensburg and obtained his doctorate at the Max-Planck Institute of Polymer Research in Mainz. He first came to WACKER in 2012, following a postdoc position in the USA and 14 years at Vinnolit in the research, development and application technology department. He is currently technical service manager of the VINNOL® surface coating resins segment.

Verena Lirk

Verena Lirk has worked for WACKER SILICONES since completing her chemical training at WACKER in 2001. She works in the applications lab there and is responsible for skin, color and sun care applications. She offers WACKER ACADEMY courses on cosmetic products in our BELSIL® line.

Monika Meier

Since completing her chemical training in 1999, Monika Meier has worked at WACKER, where she was initially responsible for the Pulp and Paper unit and, starting 2001, for the Tissue unit. In 2011, she completed advanced training as a WACKER lab technician certified by the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK). Since then, she has worked in the Personal Care unit, where she is responsible for tissue applications in the technical lab. She offers WACKER ACADEMY courses on tissue products and applications from our LIOSIL® portfolio.

Andreas Meier

Andreas Meier has worked at WACKER since completing his chemical training in 2008. Since the beginning, he has been in the Household Care technical laboratory working primarily on antifoam, but also on fabric care, surface care and impregnation applications. In 2016, he completed advanced training as a WACKER lab technician certified by the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK). He holds WACKER ACADEMY training courses on applications and products in our LIOSIL® und SILFOAM® line for the household care sector.

Barbara Müller

Dr. Barbara Müller studied chemistry at the Technical University of Munich and obtained a doctorate in inorganic chemistry. In 2008, she started her career at WACKER in the POLYSILICON division in the development for the deposition of polycrystalline silicon rods and the associated material composite. As a working group leader, she was responsible for production support and for various projects focusing on process optimization, product quality and manufacturing costs. From 2017 she held various marketing positions at WACKER POLYMERS, most recently as Senior Marketing Manager for the EMEA region. Dr. Barbara Müller has been on our team of instructors since March 2024.

Stefanie Obermeier

After completing her chemical training in 2004, Stefanie Obermeier worked in quality control for silicones and emulsions. During this time, she qualified as a chemical laboratory technician and then as a technical business administrator, both courses certified by the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK). She moved to the Personal Care department in 2017, to be precise to its technical laboratory, where she is responsible for skin, color and sun care applications.
She offers WACKER ACADEMY courses on cosmetic products in our BELSIL® line.

Andreas Peic

Andreas Peic joined SILICONES after completing his chemical training at WACKER in 2008. As a member of the Construction Chemicals business team, his responsibilities have included technical support for gypsum, boards and insulating materials. Since 2010, he has been a trainer for SILRES® construction applications at the WACKER ACADEMY. Alongside his job at WACKER, he is currently training to become a certified chemical technician.

Elke Popp

Elke Popp has been working for WACKER SILICONES as a chemical laboratory technician in the Construction Chemicals & Coatings team since 1988. She offers WACKER ACADEMY courses on cosmetic products in our SILRES® line.

Dr. Holger Poths

Dr. Holger Poths has a PhD in chemistry with a focus on polymer synthesis. He was technical service manager for nonwoven / textile customers at WACKER POLYMERS and AIR PRODUCTS POLYMERS (APP) for over 17 years. He has been platform manager for nonwovens since 2008 and heads three chemical laboratories dealing with application development and technical service for EU customers. Since March 2012, he had been head of the global competence center for nonwovens, coordinating application development worldwide and supporting global customers on technical issues.

Christian Putz

Christian Putz is senior technical manager for industrial coatings at WACKER SILICONES.

The certified paints and lacquers engineer has been with WACKER since 1998 in various functions in R&D and technical marketing.

He has been working as senior technical manager for industrial coatings since 2021.

Katrin Schachtner

Since completing her training as a chemical lab technician in 2017, Katrin Schachtner has been working in the Construction Chemicals laboratory for WACKER SILICONES. In 2021, she completed advanced training as a WACKER lab technician certified by the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK). She offers WACKER ACADEMY courses on applications and products in our SILRES® BS line, with a focus on the paint and plaster industry.

Dr. Thorsten Schwalm

Dr. Thorsten Schwalm earned his Ph.D. in polymer chemistry at the Technical University of Darmstadt in 2008. He then worked for Merck, 3M and Archroma in research, process engineering development and application technology positions. In 2023, he joined WACKER as a technical service manager supporting the VINNOL® surface coating resin segment.

Martin Sebald

Martin Sebald studied chemical engineering at the Nuremberg University of Applied Sciences. After his undergraduate thesis, which he completed at WACKER Chemie AG, he started work in 1998 in application technology for silicone additives. He has been a chemical engineer for silicone products for construction coatings since 2003.
In 2007, he became head of an applications laboratory and with his team supports customers with silicone products in the decorative coatings sector.

Dr. Sabin-Lucian Suraru

Dr. Sabin-Lucian Suraru studied chemistry at the Julius-Maximilians-Universität of Würzburg, where he subsequently worked on the synthesis of organic semiconductors as part of his doctoral thesis. After a 1.5-year postdoc stint at the University of Washington in Seattle, he first worked at the Flint Group in the flexographic printing-plate division. After joining WACKER SILICONES in 2018, he initially worked as a laboratory manager in research and development. As technical manager for Functional Additives, he has headed an applications laboratory since 2023, looking after customers in the adhesives and composites market segments.

Dr. Constantin Tiemeyer

Dr. Constantin Tiemeyer is a technical service manager for coatings at the Consumer & Industrial Polymers business unit. In 2010, he finished his degree in chemistry (Dipl. Chem.) at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). He earned his PhD (Dr. rer. nat.) there in 2014. Since January 2019, he has been working as a technical service manager at WACKER POLYMERS’ East business team.

Claudia Weiss

Claudia Weiss, a WACKER-trained chemical laboratory assistant, has worked at Personal Care since 2007. Her focus is on haircare. She offers sales managers and distributors WACKER ACADEMY courses about BELSIL® products and their potential applications.

Roswitha Zeiler

Since completing her chemical training in 2005, Roswitha Zeiler has been working at WACKER’s Personal Care department. She works in the technical lab there and is responsible for haircare applications. In 2010, she completed advanced training to become a state-certified chemical technician. She offers sales managers and distributors WACKER ACADEMY courses on BELSIL® products and their potential applications.