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Back to his old domain: on January 1, 2024, Tobias Wetzel will become the new managerial head of Sales and Service at KHS. This has now been confirmed by the company’s supervisory board. The 50-year-old switches from the Mannesmann Stainless Tubes group, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of seamless stainless steel and nickel-based alloy tubes and pipes, to the systems provider. Between 2011 and 2020 Wetzel already held various managerial positions at KHS, most recently as head of the Service Division. He joins Kai Acker (CEO), Martin Resch (CFO Finance, Procurement and IT) and Beate Schäfer (CHRO) to complete the KHS Executive Management Board.

After finishing his Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in general management at what is now the Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen, Wetzel gained a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from FOM International University for economy and management. His studies complete, he then started his career at Coca-Cola where he remained for over three years, amassing extensive experience in the beverage industry.

Prior to his starting in his new post, Wetzel held a number of managerial positions for the Dortmund systems provider over a period of ten years, first as head of RC Service Sales Support, then as executive vice-president of Corporate Controlling and finally as head of the Service Division until his departure. Between April 2015 and August 2019 he also assumed the management of the production site in Hamburg, then active under the name of KHS Corpoplast GmbH (now KHS GmbH). Before his time with the turnkey supplier, the graduate business economist spent around ten years in various functions at and companies of Mannesmannröhren-Werke – and has thus been working for Salzgitter AG, to which both companies belong, for over 20 years.

European Bioplastics, the association, representing the bioplastics industry in Europe, is pleased to announce the appointment of Maria Neguț as new Head of EU Affairs. She assumed her position on 14 March 2022 and will be based in Brussels.

European Bioplastics (EUBP) and its members are happy to welcome Maria Neguț on board of the EUBP team at this time of crucial importance. With the Green Deal casting its shadow ahead, setting up the path for the European Union’s transition to a real resource-efficient economy, bioplastics are poised to play a significant role.

Prior to joining European Bioplastics, Maria Neguț held several positions at the European Parliament and the European Commission. Most recently, she worked with the European Cocoa Association (ECA) where she served as EU Affairs Director Sustainability for over five years. Besides holding a Master’s degree in Political Sciences and European Affairs from the Université Libre de Bruxelles as well as a post-graduate degree in International Organizations from the European Academy of Diplomacy (EAD), she is also a recognised Certified Sustainability (CSR) Practitioner. Maria was an active member of the EU Commission’s Expert Group/Multi-Stakeholder Platform on Protecting and Restoring the World’s Forests, including the EU Timber Regulation and the FLEGT Regulation. In addition, she was a member of the CEN TC415 – tasked with the development of the first international standard ISO 34101 on sustainable and traceable cocoa. On a regular basis, Maria is contributing to think-thank projects and writing on topics linked to sustainability, energy, and EU policies.

Dr. Johannes-Thomas Grobe is to be the new head of Sales and Service at KHS GmbH. This has now been confirmed by the company’s supervisory board. The 53-year-old shall be moving from Dürr Systems AG, a machine and systems manufacturer for the automobile industry, to the Dortmund systems supplier. Dr. Grobe joins chairman Kai Acker and Martin Resch on the KHS Executive Management Board.

The restructuring of the KHS Executive Management Board is now complete. “We’re very pleased to have gained a proven expert and leader for our company in Dr. Grobe. He brings with him a wealth of industrial experience gleaned during his professional career,” says Acker, chairman of KHS’ Executive Management Board. Dr. Grobe has extensive knowledge as an executive manager of product and technological developments, innovative projects and production and manufacturing processes.

The computer scientist, who obtained his PhD from RWTH Aachen University in 1998, initially held various posts at Bosch Rexroth AG, among them the vice-presidency of Sales for Industrial Management, Key Account Management and Application Development for Industrial Applications. Dr. Grobe was then managing director of Bosch Rexroth in India.

On September 1, 2015, he joined Dürr Systems AG as senior vice-president of Sales and Marketing for Paint and Final Assembly Systems. On April 1, 2019, Dr. Grobe will take up his new position as head of Sales and Service at KHS. “We’re well set up for the future and shall together generate key impetus for the growth of the KHS Group,” states Acker.