IMCD Announces Key Leadership Appointments to Drive Regional Growth and Industrial Strategy
IMCD N.V., a global leader in the distribution and formulation of specialty chemicals and ingredients, has announced two significant leadership appointments that will shape the strategic direction of its operations across critical regions and industrial sectors. Effective 1 September 2025, Andreas Igerl will assume the role of Regional President for Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) and will also begin progressively taking leadership of the company’s global Industrial Business Groups over the course of 2025. Concurrently, Narendra Varde has been named Regional President for the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, succeeding Igerl in that role.
These appointments come at a pivotal time for IMCD as it continues to expand its global footprint, streamline operational capabilities, and strengthen its commitment to serving customers and partners with speed, efficiency, and innovation.
Andreas Igerl to Spearhead EMEA and Global Industrial Business Group Leadership
Andreas Igerl, currently serving as Regional President APAC and a member of the IMCD Executive Committee, brings a wealth of international experience and a strong track record of delivering results. During his tenure leading the APAC region, Igerl has overseen significant business expansion, the execution of strategic initiatives, and an enhanced degree of regional integration across functions and countries. Under his leadership, IMCD APAC experienced sustained growth, forged new partnerships, and implemented a unified commercial vision that elevated both customer service and operational efficiency.
Igerl’s new role as Regional President EMEA marks a return to a region with vast growth potential. In this position, he will be tasked with driving strategic alignment and execution across more than 30 countries. His responsibilities will include overseeing commercial development, enhancing regional coordination, and accelerating the rollout of digital platforms, operational excellence programs, and best practices that have proven successful in other markets.
With EMEA being one of IMCD’s most diverse and complex regions—comprising mature markets, high-growth territories, and emerging opportunities—this transition is expected to help unify operations, reduce complexities, and elevate the company’s competitive edge in the region.
Simultaneously, Igerl will begin assuming leadership over IMCD’s global Industrial Business Groups, a structural alignment set to be completed throughout 2025. These business groups—spanning sectors such as coatings, construction, plastics, lubricants, and advanced materials—will benefit from stronger strategic guidance, faster execution of global initiatives, and increased collaboration between markets. By consolidating global industrial sector leadership under Igerl, IMCD aims to foster a more agile, customer-centric, and innovation-driven approach across all regions.
The decision to assign both EMEA and global industrial leadership responsibilities to Igerl reflects IMCD’s continued focus on creating a more simplified and aligned global organization. As the company scales and diversifies its operations, its leadership structure is being adjusted to facilitate faster decision-making, clearer accountability, and more effective sharing of knowledge and capabilities across borders.
Narendra Varde to Lead APAC Region Following Success in India
In conjunction with Igerl’s new responsibilities, IMCD has announced the promotion of Narendra Varde as the new Regional President for Asia-Pacific, effective 1 September 2025. Varde currently serves as the Managing Director of IMCD India, a role in which he has made a substantial impact over recent years.
Under Varde’s leadership, IMCD India has emerged as one of the company’s strongest performers within the APAC region. He has been credited with steering the company through a period of robust growth, implementing a focused and strategic commercial approach, and building high-performing, cross-functional teams that have delivered consistent results. His keen understanding of the local market, coupled with his ability to translate global strategy into regional execution, makes him well-positioned to lead the APAC business into its next phase of growth.
As Regional President APAC, Varde will be responsible for overseeing IMCD’s operations across a vast and dynamic region that includes high-growth markets such as India, China, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. His mandate includes driving commercial excellence, expanding customer and supplier partnerships, and ensuring consistent alignment with IMCD’s global objectives.
The APAC region has been a strategic priority for IMCD, representing a key growth engine with diverse opportunities in industries ranging from pharmaceuticals and food to advanced materials and personal care. Varde’s appointment signals the company’s commitment to investing in local leadership with deep regional expertise while continuing to expand its footprint in a competitive and fast-evolving landscape.
IMCD has stated that the appointment of a successor to Varde as Managing Director India will be announced in due course. This transition will be managed carefully to ensure continued operational continuity and the smooth transfer of responsibilities.
Aligning Leadership with IMCD’s Strategic Vision
The appointments of Igerl and Varde are not just changes in title—they represent a larger strategic reorientation for IMCD as the company adapts to a global business environment that demands agility, integration, and customer-centric innovation.
IMCD operates in a highly fragmented and competitive industry, where success is increasingly dependent on the ability to offer localized expertise backed by global scale. The company has consistently invested in digital transformation, talent development, and supply chain optimization to create a unique value proposition for both suppliers and customers. By aligning its leadership structure to better reflect regional and industrial complexities, IMCD is positioning itself to lead from the front in both mature and emerging markets.
In a statement accompanying the announcement, IMCD emphasized that these leadership changes are part of a broader effort to simplify decision-making, streamline execution, and accelerate growth. The integration of global business group leadership with regional oversight is expected to enhance accountability, reduce silos, and drive faster implementation of strategic initiatives.
Furthermore, the appointments highlight IMCD’s ongoing commitment to internal talent development. Both Igerl and Varde are long-standing members of the organization who have risen through the ranks based on performance, leadership capabilities, and alignment with the company’s values. Their elevation to expanded leadership roles is a testament to IMCD’s belief in building from within and fostering leadership continuity.
