Clariant Announces Key Leadership Appointments

Mr. Loesser, Clariant's current chief executive, will assume hisnew role following the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on April 7, 2006,taking over from the current chairman, Robert Raeber, who will reachthe statutory retirement age at that time. Mr. Secher will joinClariant's Management Board on January 1, 2006 and take over as chiefexecutive after the AGM.

Furthermore, Professor Dieter Seebach will retire as Member of theBoard of Directors. The Board will propose Dr. Peter Chen, chemistryprofessor at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurichto replace Dr. Seebach. Dr. Chen, 45, is an expert in Physical OrganicChemistry and a U.S. citizen.

Commenting on the changes, Mr. Raeber said: "The continuity ofClariant's leadership and the further implementation of theTransformation Program is assured by the appointment of Roland Loesseras Chairman of the Board of Directors. Clariant has today a strongfinancial foundation and a clearly defined and promising strategicdirection. I am very pleased to be able to pass on chairmanship tohim."

Mr. Raeber added that: "Clariant will benefit from the extensiveexperience that Mr. Secher has in the areas of internationalmanagement, business development and marketing in difficult economicenvironments as well as in the successful implementation ofrestructuring programs." Clariant will be further aided by theexpertise brought by Dr. Chen in the fields of research andinnovation, Mr. Raeber said.

The Board of Directors thanked Mr. Raeber for the successfulleadership provided over the past four years and expressed itsappreciation to Dr. Seebach for his active involvement on the board,particularly in supporting Clariant's research and developmentactivities.

Roland Loesser commented: "I very much look forward to workingwith Jan Secher. I am convinced that he and the strong management teamalready in place will successfully complete the Transformation Programand ensure that we achieve our goal of making Clariant a leadingcompany in the specialty chemicals sector."

Jan Secher Background

Mr. Secher, 48, is a Swedish citizen and has a Masters degree inIndustrial Marketing from the Linkoeping Institute of Technology inSweden. He began his career in 1982 with Asea (now ABB) insales/marketing and product management, including a five-year stint inNorth America. Beginning in 1989 he was promoted to various leadershippositions at ABB in Asia and Europe. He was vice-president anddivisional manager of ABB's Automation & Drives Division in Japan from1994 to 1997, and then a member of the management board of ABB inSweden.

In 2000, Mr. Secher was relocated to ABB's group headquarters inZurich, and promoted in 2001 to become a member of the group'smanagement board with responsibility for Manufacturing & ConsumerIndustries, a division with some 30,000 employees and a turnover of $5billion U.S. dollars. Since 2003, Mr. Secher has been chief executiveofficer of SICPA Group, a Lausanne-based firm that has gained amarket-leading position in packaging inks and security inks for banknotes. SICPA has a turnover of around CHF 1 billion and approximately3,500 employees.
Calendar of Corporate Events
November 8, 2005 Nine Month 2005 Results
February 28, 2006 Full Year 2005 Results; Annual
Media Conference
April 7, 2006 Annual General Meeting
May 9, 2006 First Quarter 2006 Results
August 2, 2006 First Half 2006 Results
November 7, 2006 Nine Month 2006 Results

Clariant - Exactly your chemistry.

Clariant is a global leader in the field of specialty chemicals.Strong business relationships, commitment to outstanding service andwide-ranging application know-how make Clariant a preferred partnerfor its customers.

Clariant, which is represented on five continents with over 100group companies, employs about 25,000 people. Headquartered in Muttenznear Basel, it generated sales of around CHF 8.5 billion in 2004.

Clariant's businesses are organized in five divisions: Textile,Leather & Paper Chemicals, Pigments & Additives, Functional Chemicals,Life Science Chemicals and Masterbatches.

Clariant is committed to sustainable growth springing from its owninnovative strength. Clariant's innovative products play a key role inits customers' manufacturing and treatment processes or else add valueto their end products. The company's success is based on the know-howof its people and their ability to identify new customer needs at anearly stage and to work together with customers to develop innovative,efficient solutions. www.clariant.com