Azelis appoints Laurent Nataf as chief M&A officer

Azelis has appointed Laurent Nataf, currently CEO and president of Azelis Asia Pacific, as chief mergers & acquisitions (M&A) officer, effective September 1, 2022. The position is a new strategic function within the group’s Executive Committee. 

The creation of this new role within the Executive Committee reflects the continued importance of the group’s M&A program to complement its organic growth development in strengthening its footprint and market leadership. 

Azelis, based in Antwerp, Belgium, is a leading distributor of speciality chemicals and food ingredients in more than 40 countries across the globe with around 2,000 employees.

Dennis Verhaert, the current Group M&A director, will be assuming a new role within Azelis, which will be announced soon.

Laurent will further develop and execute Azelis’ global M&A strategy, in line with the group’s ambitious growth plans, and will also oversee post-acquisition integration programs. Laurent will be leveraging his leadership skills and experience in business development, having led the acquisition of 17 companies for Azelis in Asia Pacific. Under Laurent’s leadership, the group’s Asia Pacific business grew from 8% to more than 15% of group revenue and expanded Azelis’ footprint to 12 countries in the region. 

To succeed Nataf as CEO and president for Azelis Asia Pacific is Sertaç Sürür, who is currently managing director of Azelis Turkey. Sürür will join the Executive Committee in his new role, expanding Azelis’ executive leadership to six members.  

Since joining Azelis in 2015, Sürür has performed various local and regional leadership roles, and has developed the group’s Turkish business, growing the business from 2% to almost 6% of Azelis’ total EMEA revenue. Under his leadership, Azelis has become a leading specialty chemical distributor in Turkey. Prior to joining Azelis, Sürür held various commercial and management leadership positions at global industrial and chemical distribution and production companies, including DSM and Ravago.

As members of the Executive Committee, Laurent and Sertaç will both report to Group CEO Dr. Hans Joachim Müller. They will commence transitioning into their new roles shortly to ensure a smooth and seamless handover.

“I am pleased to announce these strategic appointments to the group’s leadership, signifying the next stage in our development to become the reference innovation service provider for the specialty chemicals and food ingredients distribution market. The addition of the M&A function in the Executive Committee is a logical step given our strategy of complementing organic growth with acquisitions to strengthen our lateral value chain and global footprint,” Müller said.

“I would like to thank Dennis for his contribution in developing a strong M&A team, supporting the group’s rapid growth over the past four years. Laurent and Sertaç have both built impressive track records of developing businesses for the group, and I have every confidence that they will continue to successfully deliver in their new roles.”