Henkel appoints North America president

Laundry detergent manufacturer Henkel on Wednesday announced that it has named Pernille Lind Olsen as president of the North America region, succeeding Steven Essick, who retired after 27 years with the company. Lind Olsen will be based at Henkel’s North America Adhesive Technologies headquarters in Bridgewater.

“I am excited to take on this role and, together with my fellow leadership team and our colleagues across the region, continue building on our strong position in the North American region, by delivering innovative products and sustainable solutions that help our customers solve their most urgent challenges and improve the lives of our consumers,” Lind Olsen said.

A manufacturer of well-known consumer brands including Persil, Purex and All laundry detergents, Henkel is also global leader in the industrial business for adhesives, sealants and functional coatings.

Before joining Henkel in January 2022 as corporate vice president, adhesive technologies, leading the global metals business, Lind Olsen was with the global coating supplier Hempel A/S for eight years, where she held roles as group product & portfolio director and as group vice president, South & East Asia, and, most recently, as group vice president, Europe & Africa. In both regional roles, she was a member of Hempel’s operational management board. Before that, she started her professional career at Novozymes and held different positions in local and global roles.

At Henkel, Lind Olsen also serves as corporate senior vice president, adhesive technologies packaging & consumer goods; and regional head, adhesive technologies, North America. She is well-positioned to lead Henkel North America with an entrepreneurial and strategic mindset, shaped by her significant global market knowledge and business development experiences.

“I believe that we have an enormous potential to bring our company purpose — pioneers at heart for the good of generations — to life by playing together as team and by leveraging the market know-how and collaborative spirit of the Henkel team,” Lind Olsen said.