Hans Van Bylen studied business economics at the University of Antwerp and graduated with both a degree in business management and a Master of Business Administration.[2] He also completed numerous executive development courses, e.g. at Harvard Business School. He is fluent in Dutch, English, German and French.

He joined Henkel in 1984 as Product Manager for detergents in Belgium. After several positions in marketing for detergents and cosmetics, he took over management responsibilities for various countries and regions. In 2005, Hans Van Bylen became member of Henkel’s management board and served as Executive Vice President for the Beauty Care business. In May 2016 he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Henkel,[3] succeeding Kasper Rorsted who joined adidas. In June 2016, Henkel acquired under his leadership the US based The Sun Products Corporation for 3.2 bn euros[4] In November 2016, he presented the company’s new strategy (Henkel 2020+)[5] Hans Van Bylen’s salary in 2016 amounted to 5.4 mio euros[6] He served on several boards in the US and in Germany, and is now Vice President of the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI)