Umicore Appoints Lily Liu as Chief Financial Officer Effective August 1, 2026
Umicore announces two changes within its Executive Leadership Team. Lily Liu will assume the role of Chief Financial Officer starting August 1, 2026, succeeding Wannes Peferoen who is leaving the group after twenty years of service. Concurrently, Marten Zieris has been appointed Chief Digital & Transformation Officer.
CFO Succession with Supported Transition
Lily Liu, currently CFO of Synthomer, will become Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Umicore effective August 1, 2026. Holding British and Australian nationality, she has over twenty years of financial leadership experience in the chemical, manufacturing, and engineering sectors.
Wannes Peferoen, who has held the position for four years, will leave the group after two decades of service. Starting August 1, he will serve as a special advisor until February 28, 2027, to ensure a smooth transition. Prior to Synthomer, Ms. Liu served as CFO at Essentra plc, Xaar plc, and Smiths Detection. She is also a non-executive director and audit committee member of DCC plc.
Establishment of a New Digital Transformation Role
Umicore has created the role of Chief Digital & Transformation Officer within its Executive Leadership Team. Marten Zieris, who has over fifteen years of experience in organizational transformation and operational excellence, has been appointed to this position effective August 1, 2026.
Before joining Umicore, Marten Zieris was Partner and Head of Growth & Transformation Practice for Central Europe at Arthur D. Little. This new role will be responsible for the Operational Excellence and Digitalisation & Information Systems activities, aiming to strengthen the synergies between processes, data, and digital technologies.
