Christian Baier, Chief Financial Officer of Covestro

Under the financial leadership of Christian Baier, born in 1976 in Freiburg im Breisgau, Covestro pursues a strategic course focused on financial stability, efficiency, and sustainable growth. Since October 2023, Baier has served as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and member of the Board of Management of Covestro AG. In this role, he is responsible for Accounting, Controlling, Tax, Finance & Insurance, Portfolio Development, Investor Relations, IT & Digitalization, as well as Legal, Intellectual Property & Compliance. He also oversees country-specific matters in the U.S. and China.

With a solid background in business administration, earned at the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University in Villingen-Schwenningen, and an MBA from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business at New York University, Baier brings extensive international experience in private equity, investment banking, and corporate finance. Before joining Covestro, he served as CFO of METRO AG from 2016 and played a key role in the company’s strategic realignment.

Baier is recognized as an expert in strategic and operational transformation. His expertise in financial management and his strong focus on profitability and efficiency contribute significantly to strengthening Covestro’s position as a leading company in the chemical industry. He places particular importance on systematically integrating sustainability goals into the financial strategy to ensure long-term value creation.

Another key area of focus for Baier is digitalization—especially the use of artificial intelligence. He sees modern technologies as crucial levers to elevate transparency, efficiency, and forward-looking corporate steering. A particular concern for him is improving data efficiency: instead of relying on sheer volumes of data, he emphasizes the smart use of high-quality information to enable better decisions and measurably improve operational processes. With strong personal interest, he drives the automation of financial and business processes as well as the data-based evolution of management models—with the overarching goal of making Covestro more resilient and future-proof.

With his analytical mindset, strong execution focus, international experience, and passion for technology and transformation, Christian Baier plays a key role in Covestro’s financial and strategic direction. His commitment makes him a key driver of the company’s transformation toward a circular and climate-neutral economy.

• Degree in Business Administration from the Cooperative State University Villingen-Schwenningen
• MBA from the Leonard N. Stern School of Business, New York

• 2004 - 2006: M&A advisory at investment bank Lehman Brothers
• 2006–2011: Investment Executive at private equity firm Permira
• 2011 - 2016: Metro AG (retail group)
• Held various leadership positions, including Head of Strategy/Business Innovation/M&A and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Metro Cash & Carry
• 2016 – 2023: Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Metro AG
• Since 2023: Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Covestro AG

• Since May 2022: Member of the Supervisory Board of TUI AG