Karl-Ludwig Kley

Karl-Ludwig Kley (born 11 June 1951 in Munich) is a German business executive, and was the chief executive officer (CEO) and chairman of the executive board of the German multinational chemical, pharmaceutical and life sciences company Merck.

Kley studied law at LMU 1974–1979 and completed his practical training as a lawyer in Hamburg and Johannesburg from 1979 to 1982. He earned a doctorate in law at LMU in 1986.

Kley worked for Bayer from 1982 to 1998, most recently as head of corporate finance and investor relations. He was chief financial officer and a member of the executive board of Lufthansa 1998–2006.

In 2006 Kley joined Merck as a member of the executive board, and he became CEO of Merck in April 2007. Under his leadership, Merck strengthened its two non-pharmaceutical divisions, which make laboratory supplies and specialty chemicals, and competed a $17 billion deal to buy US laboratory supplies company Sigma-Aldrich. In his capacity at Merck, Kley was part of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s delegation on a state visit to Japan in 2015. In October 2015, it was announced that Kley would retire in April 2016, and be succeeded by Stefan Oschmann.

In 2017, Lufthansa named Kley as new chairman of its supervisory board, replacing Wolfgang Mayrhuber, who resigned six months before the end of his term. There had already been speculation late in 2015 that he would replace Mayrhuber, after Kley was quoted as saying he would take the job if it was offered to him.

Corporate boards

• E.ON, Chairman of the Supervisory Board (since 2016)
• Lufthansa, Chairman of the Supervisory Board (since 2016), Member of the Supervisory Board (since 2013)
• Verizon Wireless, Member of the Board of Directors (since 2015)
• BMW, Vice Chairman of the Supervisory Board (since 2010), Member of the Supervisory Board (since 2008)
• HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt, Member of the Advisory Board (since 2005)
• 1. FC Köln, Member of the Supervisory Board (since 2007)
• Deutsche Bank, Member of the European Advisory Board (since 2003)
• Bertelsmann, Member of the Supervisory Board (2007-2016)
• MAN SE, Member of the Supervisory Board (2005-2007)

Non-profit organizations

• Baden-Badener Unternehmer-Gespräche (BBUG), Member of the Board
• Goethe Institute, Member of the Business and Industry Advisory Board
• University of Freiburg, Member of the Advisory Board
• Konrad Adenauer Prize, former Member of the Advisory Board
• Fritz Thyssen Foundation, Member of the Board of Trustees
• 1. FC Köln, Member of the Advisory Board (-2019)
• German Chemical Industry Association (VCI), President (2012-2014)