Nivea will soon have a new head. Stefan F. Heidenreich has been appointed to Beiersdorf AG’s Executive Board effective January 1, 2012, and will take over as CEO following the Annual General Meeting on April 26, 2012, announced today the German cosmetics maker.

Stefan F. Heidenreich

Aged 48, Stefan Heidenreich has been CEO of the Hero Group since 2002, a position he will leave on December 31, 2011. Under his leadership, Hero has developed into a leading global manufacturer of baby foods and jams.

Heidenreich has around 25 years’ international experience of managing brands and consumer goods companies. After studying business administration in Kiel, he started his career in 1987 at Procter & Gamble, where he managed brands such as Pampers, Ariel, and Crest. In 1992, he moved to Reckitt Benckiser, where he oversaw an aggressive expansion into the Eastern European region for its laundry and cleaning division. Following a two-year stint at Bertelsmann, he returned to the international branded goods business in 1996 as a member of Hero’s Executive Board.

Thomas-B. Quaas, who has been CEO of Beiersdorf since 2005, will remain in office until the end of the Annual General Meeting, after which the plan is for him to be elected to the Supervisory Board.