Henkel names new North America president

Consumer goods giant Henkel has announced the appointment of Rajat Agarwal to the role of president of its North America region, effective July 1.

Agarwal succeeds Pernille Lind Olsen, who has decided to return to her home country of Denmark.

In his expanded role, Agarwal will be based at Henkel’s North America adhesive technologies packaging headquarters in Bridgewater, NJ. 

Agarwal joined Henkel in 1997 as a research scientist in the automotive sector of the Henkel adhesive technologies business in Madison Heights, Michigan.

Since then, he has held roles in research and global innovation at Henkel’s global headquarters in Dusseldorf and spent four years as the president of Henkel Greater China.  In 2024, he returned to the U.S., where he commenced his current role as corporate vice president, packaging, Henkel adhesive technologies, a role he will continue to serve in.
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“I am honored to take on this new role at Henkel after 28 years with the company. Alongside my fellow leaders and our colleagues across the United States and Canada, I look forward to continuing to build on our strong position in North America, Henkel’s largest global market,” said Agarwal.

“With a focus on serving our customers, consumers, and partners across both business units, we will continue to deliver on our innovation and sustainability commitments while providing excellent products and services.”

In its most recent trading update in May, the parent of Schwartzkopf hair care pointed to weaker consumer sentiment in North America as it reported a 1% fall in first-quarter sales, below market expectations.