Henkel appoints North America President

Henkel, a leading manufacturer of well-known consumer and industrial brands, such as all® free clear laundry detergent, Dial® soap, Schwarzkopf® hair care, and Loctite®, Technomelt® and Bonderite® adhesives, sealants, and functional coatings, announced that it has named Rajat Agarwal as President of its North America region.

Agarwal also serves as Corporate Vice President, Packaging, Henkel Adhesive Technologies. In his role as President Henkel North America, Agarwal succeeds Pernille Lind Olsen, who will be seeking new opportunities in her home country of Denmark. Agarwal is based at Henkel’s North America Adhesive Technologies Packaging headquarters in Bridgewater, NJ.

“I am honored to take on this new role at Henkel after 28 years with the company. Alongside my fellow leaders and our colleagues across the United States and Canada, I look forward to us continuing to build on our strong position in North America, Henkel’s largest single market. With a focus on serving our customers, consumers, and partners across both business units, we will continue to deliver on our innovation and sustainability commitments while providing excellent products and services,” said Agarwal.

Agarwal joined Henkel in 1997 as a Research Scientist in the Automotive sector of the Henkel Adhesive Technologies business in Madison Heights, Michigan. Since then, he has held roles in research and global innovation at Henkel’s global headquarters in Dusseldorf and spent 4 years as the President of Henkel Greater China. He most recently returned to the United States in 2024 where he assumed his current role as Corporate Vice President, Packaging, Henkel Adhesive Technologies.  Agarwal holds a Ph.D. in Polymer Science from the University of Connecticut, and a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology. 

Agarwal brings a wealth of technical expertise and decades of organizational knowledge to this new leadership role at Henkel. He leads with an entrepreneurial spirit and has found success across multiple regions and roles due to his strategic problem-solving. Agarwal’s past experience and future-ready mindset create a unique set of qualifications that will inspire colleagues across the region to continue striving for excellence. 

“I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Henkel North America Executive Committee, leveraging our enormous potential to bring Henkel’s purpose as pioneers at heart for the good of generations to life. Our region is diverse, and collaborative; and each employee brings their individual perspectives to work, creating teams that are stronger than the sum of their parts,” said Agarwal.

Agarwal’s appointment as Henkel Region President North America is effective as of July 1, 2025.