Walter Huehn to step down as CEO of Element Six
January 4, 2023
Element Six (E6), part of the De Beers Group, has announced that Walter Huehn will stand down as Chief Executive Office, effective January 31, 2023. The process to recruit Huehn’s successor is reportedly underway.
Over the past decade, Element Six has successfully navigated a wide range of challenges and opportunities, fulfilling many strategic developments, including broadening its oil & gas product offering to a wider customer pool, accelerating the market penetration of tungsten carbide and synthetic diamond solutions, and the expansion of CVD production capabilities to satisfy growing markets in semiconductors, defence and high-power laser applications.
Some of the most significant milestones over the last few years, noted by the company, include the expansion and sustainability efforts implemented across E6’s global HPHT, Carbide and CVD production sites, as well as the introduction of a new, fully automated manufacturing line in Germany, and the delivery of one of the world’s largest, most advanced CVD-scale manufacturing facilities in the US.
Despite challenges faced during the past decade, Element Six s said to have continued its strategic journey, leading to numerous R&D and innovation achievements, new business models and novel commercial and academic collaborations.
“Walter has led Element Six with distinction for the best part of a decade and has continued to deliver excellent value for our business, successfully guiding Element Six through its strategic journey, despite a range of global challenges to contend with,” stated Bruce Cleaver, CEO, De Beers Group. “He is passionate about innovation, and about the potential for synthetic diamonds to provide novel solutions to some of the world’s most intractable problems.”
“One of his most important legacies, however, is the outstanding team he has built at Element Six, which has a wealth of knowledge, expertise and passion, as well as a clear vision of where the key opportunities for the business lie in the future,” Cleaver continued. “Synthetic diamonds have the potential to transform the world of technology, and Walter’s successor will work closely with the leadership team to ensure Element Six remains at the forefront of innovation in the advanced material solutions sector.”
