Dr. Claus van der Velden brings accounting and executive financial experience to the Board that provides critical perspective on accounting and capital allocation strategy.

Dr. Claus van der Velden is an accomplished finance executive with more than two decades of experience leading finance, governance and enterprise oversight functions for publicly traded and technology-driven companies in Germany. Since May 2021, he has served as Chief Financial Officer and Managing Director of NetCologne GmbH, a regional telecommunication provider in Germany.

From July 2011 to May 2021, Dr. van der Velden served as Corporate Head of Management Accounting, Internal Audit and Risk Management at Ströer SE & Co. KGaA, a publicly listed German digital media company, where he was responsible for management accounting, internal audit, enterprise risk management, information security risk assessments and internal control programs.

Previously, Dr. van der Velden served as Director of Corporate Business Controlling for the Nutrition & Health business unit at Cognis, a global supplier of nutritional ingredients and specialty chemicals, where he also served as a compliance representative and member of the global leadership team. Following BASF’s acquisition of Cognis, he was responsible for the management accounting processes of BASF’s Nutrition & Health division. Earlier in his career, Dr. van der Velden worked as a strategy consultant at an international marketing and strategy consulting firm.

Dr. van der Velden holds a degree in economics from the University of Kiel and a doctorate (Ph.D.) in business management from the WHU-Otto Beisheim School of Management, where he also previously taught economics.