Dr Konrad Henkel
Member of the Board of Trustees from 1976 until 1997 Deputy Chairman from 1991 until 1997
Konrad Henkel (1915–1999) was the younger brother of Lisa Maskell and grandson of entrepreneur Fritz Henkel, who founded the company Henkel & Cie. in 1876. In 1961, after the death of his brother Jost Henkel, he took over as Chairman of the Management Board, a position he retained until 1980. From 1980 to 1990 he was Chairman of the Supervisory Board and the Shareholders’ Committee.
After completing school in Düsseldorf, Konrad Henkel studied Chemistry in Munich and Braunschweig and in 1939 obtained his doctorate from Technische Hochschule Karlsruhe (today KIT). He received numerous distinctions, including an honorary doctorate from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf in 1972, and in 1976 was made an honorary citizen of the state capital Düsseldorf. In 1995 he was awarded the Grand Federal Cross of Merit with Star and in 2000 a lecture hall at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf was named after him.
Konrad Henkel accompanied the Gerda Henkel Foundation since its establishment as a member of the Board of Trustees, becoming its Deputy Chairman after the death of Friedrich Malitz. After officially leaving the Board of Trustees in 1997, Konrad Henkel continued to act in an advisory capacity until his death.