In an early decision, the Supervisory Board of GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft has unanimously appointed Stefan Klebert (60) as Chairman of the Executive Board for a further two years – through the end of December 2028 – and extended his term of office accordingly.

Prof. Dieter Kempf, Chairman of the GEA Supervisory Board: “The Supervisory Board is delighted that Stefan Klebert has agreed to extend his term of office, thus continuing our successful and trust-based cooperation. He has been highly successful in driving the company’s transformation and securing GEA’s entry into the DAX. We are convinced that his strategic foresight and clear direction will guide GEA into its next phase of growth.”

Top GEA executives appointed to head restructured Executive Board areas

As well as extending the CEO’s contract, the Supervisory Board also resolved to expand the Executive Board to six Executive Board areas from 2026. Successful executives from GEA’s existing divisional and functional leadership team have been appointed to head these new areas: Alexander Kocherscheidt (51) is appointed to be Chief Financial Officer (CFO). He will succeed Bernd Brinker (60), who will leave GEA effective 31 October, 2025, by mutual consent. This enables a further reduction in the average age of the Executive Board and an early succession for the CFO position, in line with the overall reorganisation concept. Alexander Kocherscheidt, currently CFO of the Liquid & Powder Technologies Division, joined GEA in 2019 as Head of Group Finance, having previously held various management positions at ThyssenKrupp. He began his career in investment banking at Sal. Oppenheim.

Dr. Nadine Sterley (44) will assume responsibility for the new People & Sustainability Executive Board area, as well as the role of Director of Labor. Her area of responsibility will include the HR, Sustainability, and Legal core functions. To date, she has served as GEA’s Chief Sustainability Officer and Chief Human Rights Officer. Prior to this and since mid-2016, she held various positions within the company. Before joining GEA, Nadine Sterley worked as an attorney at a prestigious international law firm.

Kai Becker (44) will assume Executive Board responsibility for the Pure Flow Processing Division. This restructured division will comprise the Separation & Flow Technologies Division and the components business of Heating & Refrigeration Technologies. The Heating & Refrigeration Technologies Division currently headed by Kai Becker will be dissolved as of December 31, 2025. Kai Becker has worked for GEA since 2004.

Klaus Stojentin (58) will assume Executive Board responsibility for the Nutrition Plant Engineering Division. This restructured division will combine the business of the Liquid & Powder Technologies Division with the Heating & Refrigeration Solutions business of the Heating & Refrigeration Technologies Division. Klaus Stojentin joined GEA in 2003 and currently heads the Separation & Flow Technologies Division.

Peter Lauwers (55) will assume Executive Board responsibility for the Pharma & Food Applications Division, currently known as the Food & Healthcare Technologies Division; the Division’s portfolio will remain unchanged. He has served as Divisional CEO at GEA since 2020, leading Farm Technologies until 2024 and Food & Healthcare Technologies thereafter. Peter Lauwers previously held various senior management positions at Atlas Copco.

All new members of the Executive Board will serve for a term of three years until December 31, 2028, with the exception of Alexander Kocherscheidt, who has been appointed until October 31, 2028.

The Farm Technologies Division will continue to be led by Dr. Andreas Seeringer (44) and will report directly to the CEO.

“The Supervisory Board looks forward to fruitful collaboration with the new Executive Board team,” says Prof. Dieter Kempf. “We are firmly convinced that the new Executive Board members embody exactly the right mix of entrepreneurship, drive, and innovative spirit. They have demonstrated these attributes impressively in their previous roles at GEA. Together, they will make a pivotal contribution to GEA’s continued development as a technology and sustainability pioneer. At the same time, we extend our sincere thanks to Bernd Brinker, who is leaving by mutual agreement, for his important contributions and outstanding commitment. We greatly welcome that Johannes Giloth will support the transition phase of the COO area until mid-2026. We also thank him warmly for his very successful work, which has significantly contributed to the increase in value of GEA in recent years.”

Lean structures facilitate efficiency and rapid decision-making

The creation of the Pure Flow Processing, Nutrition Plant Engineering, and Pharma & Food Applications Divisions at the Executive Board level establishes the basis for the focused and agile management of the company, concentrating on the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries. This and the dissolution of the 14-member Global Executive Committee will streamline the leadership structure and facilitate clear and direct management of the country organisations by the Divisions. The new organisation will eliminate the existing matrix structure in the regions. As a result, it will be possible to reduce costs and take decisions even faster and in closer proximity to the market.

The area headed by Chief Operating Officer Johannes Giloth (55) – currently an Executive Board area – will be dissolved with a transition period through June 30, 2026. A centralised procurement function will be retained, in future reporting to the CEO. The other key COO functions will be integrated into the portfolios of the other Executive Board members. Johannes Giloth will be closely involved in the handover of his responsibilities over the coming months to ensure an orderly and smooth transition.

In future, the fast-growing and strategically important markets of China and India will report directly to the CEO in order to foster entrepreneurship and accelerate growth.

GEA CEO Stefan Klebert: “I greatly look forward to working with my new Executive Board team, all of whom I have known for many years and respect both professionally and personally. I would like to thank our Supervisory Board for the trust placed in me and the future Executive Board team. With the new Executive Board and organisational structure, we are establishing an even better foundation for accelerated profitable growth as part of our Mission 30 strategy. I owe special thanks to those colleagues who are leaving for their pivotal input. In particular, the efficiency programs of recent years in the COO area have contributed greatly to growing GEA’s value.”

Supervisory Board Chairman will be proposed for reelection

On the recommendation of the Nomination Committee, the GEA Supervisory Board will propose to the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting 2026 that Prof. Dieter Kempf be reelected as the Chairman of the Supervisory Board for a further year, until the conclusion of the ordinary Annual Shareholders’ Meeting 2027. The ongoing leadership of Prof. Dieter Kempf is intended to facilitate a continuation of the trust-based collaboration within the Supervisory Board and with the Executive Board as the company transitions to the new management and organisational structure. It is also intended to ensure an orderly succession process within the Supervisory Board.

At its meeting on 1 December, the Supervisory Board of Symrise AG once again extended the contract of Chief Executive Officer Dr Heinz-Jürgen Bertram ahead of schedule. With his confirmation in office until the end of 2025, Symrise is preserving its customary continuity and long-term management approach. Dr Bertram will continue as CEO of Symrise AG for a further three years and will drive forward the profitable growth course of the Group.

“Dr Heinz-Jürgen Bertram has been leading Symrise AG confidently and successfully for more than ten years now. With his entrepreneurial vision, he has further diversified the product portfolio, tapped into high-growth markets and new customer groups, and most recently sovereignly steered the Group through the pandemic. Under his leadership, Symrise AG has developed into one of the 40 largest publicly listed companies in Germany. After 14 successful years in the MDAX, the Company was promoted to the DAX, Germany’s leading index, this year,” said Michael König, Chairman of the Supervisory Board. “This track record demonstrates once again that Dr Bertram enjoys a high level of trust on the capital market as well as among customers and employees. We are delighted to have won him over for another three years as CEO and to continue our successful and trusting cooperation in the upcoming years.”

By 2025 Symrise intends to drive forward its expansion in high-growth business areas as well as the further development of its own base of natural raw materials with targeted investments. The Company is targeting sales of € 5.5 to € 6 billion by 2025. Organic growth is expected to be between 5 and 7 %. With its favorable product mix and efficiency enhancements, Symrise aims to generate an EBITDA margin in the range of 20 to 23 %.

Dr Heinz-Jürgen Bertram (born in 1958), who has a doctorate in chemistry, has performed in various management functions at the Bayer Group, the Haarmann & Reimer Group and Symrise since 1985. Since 2003, he has held several senior positions with Symrise, and was appointed to the Executive Board in 2006. Since August 2009, he heads the Company’s business activities as CEO.

Symrise AG makes changes to its Executive Board effective 1 April 2021. Heinrich Schaper, Executive Board member and responsible for the Flavor segment, will be retiring and leaving the Company on 31 March 2021. In the course of succession planning, the Supervisory Board has decided that Dr Jean-Yves Parisot is to take over the global leadership of the Flavor segment in addition to his responsibility for the Nutrition segment. This will involve combining the Flavor & Nutrition activities in one segment. Achim Daub, who has been Board member since 2006 and responsible for the Scent & Care segment, has decided to pursue new professional opportunities. He will therefore also leave the Company on 31 March 2021 by mutual agreement and on best terms. Succession planning for the leadership of the Scent & Care segment has already been initiated. On an interim basis, the CEO of Symrise AG, Dr Heinz-Jürgen Bertram, will lead the segment. Executive Board member Olaf Klinger will continue to head the finance, legal and IT department.

Jean-Yves Parisot (56) has been Head of the Nutrition/Diana business unit since 2014 and a member of the Executive Board of Symrise AG since October 2016. In his role, he was most recently responsible for the successful acquisition of ADF/IDF in the U.S. Prior to the acquisition and integration of Diana Group, he headed the Food Division within the Diana Group for five years. Before joining Diana, he held senior positions in several global pharmaceutical, chemical and biotech companies, including Air Liquide, Danisco and Rhodia. He started his career in Sales & Marketing at Pfizer. Jean-Yves Parisot holds a Doctor degree in Veterinary Medicine, and an MBA from HEC Paris.

Heinrich Schaper (64) has held various management positions at Symrise AG and its predecessor companies for more than four decades. In October 2016, he was appointed President of the Flavor segment. Among other positions during his career at Symrise, he was Vice President Flavor in the U.S., where he was responsible for expanding the business, and was previously responsible for developing the U.K. market as Divisional Manager. Heinrich Schaper began his professional career in 1975 after obtaining a degree in Industrial Management.

Achim Daub (58) joined Symrise AG in 2004, assuming global leadership of the Fragrance division in 2005 and was appointed to the Executive Board in 2006. He has consistently driven the expansion of the Scent & Care segment, particularly in France and in the U.S. Under his leadership, the Scent & Care segment also very successfully developed the world’s first and only fully functional artificial intelligence system in perfumery. Before joining Symrise, Achim Daub had worked for Procter & Gamble for many years.

The Supervisory Board of GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft and Steffen Bersch (50), member of GEA’s Executive Board, have mutually agreed to prematurely terminate his service agreement due to expire on December 31, 2021. In doing so, the Board honored Steffen Bersch’s request for a termination of his service agreement to seek new challenges outside of GEA Group.

As a consequence, GEA will shrink its Executive Board to three members. As of March 1, 2020, the latter will comprise the Chairman of the Executive Board Stefan Klebert, the Chief Financial Officer Marcus A. Ketter as well as the company’s Chief Operating Officer Johannes Giloth.

Since January 1, 2016, Steffen Bersch has been a member of the Executive Board of GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft, where he has been responsible for the Liquid & Powder Technologies, Food & Healthcare Technologies and Refrigeration Technologies Divisions as well as Global Technology since the start of the year.

Joining GEA back in 2000, Steffen Bersch has held various leadership positions within the company. This included several years as Managing Director of GEA Middle East in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, as well as a stint as head of a business unit in the Separator business. On the Executive Board, he was in charge of the Business Area Equipment until the end of 2019. When the new divisional organization entered into force at the start of the year, he took up his current responsibilities.

For the purpose of giving the Division CEOs and the Regional CEOs responsible for operational business a greater say in corporate decision-making, the company will set up a Global Executive Committee immediately below Executive Board level.

Effective January 1^st, 2020, the KROHNE Group (Ludwig Krohne GmbH & Co. KG) is appointing a new Chairman of the Advisory Board and a changed Executive Board. The changes herald a generational change in the family-run company and ensure that the KROHNE Group will continue to be successfully positioned to meet the challenges of the market in the future.

After almost 40 years as Chairman of the Advisory Board of the KROHNE Group, Prof. Dr. Rolf Theenhaus retires. The Advisory Board and all employees thank Rolf Theenhaus for his commitment and creative capabilities, with which he has continuously introduced and promoted innovations and new business areas for KROHNE.

Michael Rademacher-Dubbick, who has successfully led the KROHNE Group for over 25 years as managing shareholder, is the new chairman of the advisory board. With this step, he underlines the constant and close connection of the owner family with the company and its activities.

Dr. Attila Bilgic is the new Chief Executive Officer and Speaker of KROHNE Group’s executive board. He has been on the Board since 2017 and has been Chief Technical Officer for KROHNE since 2009. Dr. Bilgic is responsible for the areas of research and development, intellectual property, production, quality management, marketing and product management. Stephan Neuburger, member of the Management Board since 1999, will drive growth in new business areas as Chief Business Development Officer.

Effective January 1st, 2020 Ingo Wald and Ansgar Hoffmann are newly appointed to the executive board. As Chief Financial Officer, Ingo Wald heads the finance and human resources departments. He has been Managing Director for KROHNE Messtechnik GmbH since 2006 and will continue to hold this position in parallel to his executive board activities for the KROHNE Group. As the fourth board member, Ansgar Hoffmann takes over responsibility for sales of the KROHNE Group as Chief Sales Officer and will also be responsible for IT. Ansgar Hoffmann changed from GEA Group to KROHNE and has many years of experience in leading positions, particularly in sales, most recently as Executive Vice President DACH Eastern Europe.