Germany based perfume manufacturer Maurer & Wirtz has a new managing director. On January 1, 2009, Johannes Verhoog became the head of the family-owned company that was founded in 1845. His predecessor, Bert Lehnen, stepped down after more than 40 years with the company. He will remain available as a consultant for brand and corporate strategies. Verhoog will lead Maurer & Wirtz jointly with managing partner Dr. Hermann Wirtz.

“We are very glad to have won such an internationally experienced managing director in Johannes Verhoog. I am convinced he will continue our company’s history of success,” Dr. Hermann Wirtz states. “My thanks go to Bert Lehnen, whose decades of service showed great personal commitment and dedication. He had a major impact on the success story of Maurer & Wirtz, especially in his nine years as managing director. Under his guidance, Maurer & Wirtz has developed a strong product portfolio and delivered excellent performance. Since 1999, sales have doubled and earnings have increased six fold.”

Johannes Verhoog (50) wants to build on this success. He has acquired extensive experience in the field of fragrance and other fast moving consumer products in international leadership positions at Procter & Gamble, Reckitt Benckiser and privately owned companies. Most recently he successfully restructured a family-owned business and served as a management consultant at Altran.

“The company culture, employees and product portfolio at Maurer & Wirtz have inspired me from the very outset,” says Verhoog. “My objective is to keep the company on its successful path of profitable growth. Strategically, this means we will drive the dynamic internationalization of our brands. We also want to strengthen our position in the market of prestige fragrances by adding other attractive trend labels to our portfolio.”