Umicore SA announced a leadership transition on Thursday that will replace its current finance chief and add a senior digital transformation executive to the leadership team. Effective August 1, 2026, Lily Liu will assume the role of Chief Financial Officer, succeeding Wannes Peferoen.
According to the company, Liu joins Umicore from Synthomer, where she most recently served. Her resume, as disclosed by Umicore, also includes prior tenures as CFO at Essentra plc and earlier CFO roles at Xaar plc and Smiths Detection. The appointment is set to take effect at the start of August 2026.
Wannes Peferoen will relinquish the CFO responsibilities but will not depart immediately. Umicore said Peferoen will remain with the business in a special advisory capacity through February 28, 2027, specifically to support the transition process. That arrangement is intended to provide overlap between the outgoing and incoming finance chiefs during the handover period.
In parallel with the finance change, Umicore is creating a new executive post: Chief Digital & Transformation Officer. Marten Zieris has been named to fill that position, with his appointment also taking effect on August 1, 2026.
Umicore's announcement notes Zieris's most recent role as a Partner and Head of Growth & Transformation Practice for Central Europe at Arthur D. Little. The company did not provide additional detail in the release about the scope of the new role beyond the title and the effective date of the appointment.
Both leadership moves are scheduled to begin on the same calendar day in August 2026, and Umicore has explicitly defined a transition window for the outgoing CFO that extends to late February 2027. The company has presented the changes as sequential and coordinated appointments, with the incoming CFO and the newly created digital executive joining the organization at the same time.
Summary of appointments and timing
- Lily Liu to become CFO on August 1, 2026.
- Wannes Peferoen to step down as CFO but remain as special adviser until February 28, 2027.
- Marten Zieris to take the newly created role of Chief Digital & Transformation Officer on August 1, 2026.
The announcements identify the previous employers of the incoming executives but do not add commentary on strategic intent or expected operational changes beyond the stated responsibilities and transition timing.