DGAP-News: KION Group reorganizes senior management teams at its holding company and brand companies

2009-04-29 / 12:27:00

KION Group reorganizes senior management
teams at its holding company and brand companies

  • Gordon Riske to focus on running the KION Group
  • Theodor Maurer to become CEO of Linde Material Handling

Wiesbaden / Aschaffenburg / Hamburg; April 29, 2009: KION Group GmbH is stepping up its highly successful multibrand strategy by reorganizing the senior management teams at its holding company and brand companies. 'By creating totally separate, focused management teams for our holding company and its brand companies, we are fully aligning the KION Group's management bodies with our corporate strategy. This significantly reinforces our customer orientation', stressed Gordon Riske, chief executive officer (CEO) of the KION Group, announcing the changes to the various management teams. 'At the same time, it ensures that we can focus fully on reaping synergies throughout our organization and exploiting the strategic opportunities available during the current crisis.'

Gordon Riske (51), currently CEO of both KION Group GmbH and Linde Material Handling GmbH, will in future focus on running the KION Group. He will also assume the role of acting chief operating officer (COO) of KION until further notice. Harald Pinger (49) will remain chief financial officer (CFO) of KION Group GmbH. This means that KION's executive board will be reduced to two members.

Dr. Rolf Karg (59), currently COO at KION Group GmbH and CEO of STILL GmbH, will step down from KION's executive board to focus on running STILL and on the cross-brand optimization of the truck plants of the KION Group brands. Gordon Riske said, 'We are very grateful to Dr. Karg for his successful role as COO of the KION Group. Dr. Karg has made a major contribution to the cross-brand synergies that have been comprehensively exploited in the area of production and has promoted partnership between the brands in the KION Group. He will therefore continue to manage cross-brand control and optimization of truck production in parallel with his duties at STILL.'

Theodor Maurer (49), currently sales director for the Linde brand, is to become CEO of Linde Material Handling GmbH with effect from May 1 this year. He will also take on the role of labor relations director for Linde Material Handling. Christophe Lautray (47) and Heinz Baumgarten (60) are being appointed to the management board of Linde Material Handling. Lautray, currently managing director of Fenwick, a French subsidiary of Linde, will be responsible for sales and aftersales. Baumgarten, at present head of production at Linde Material Handling, will be the director in charge of production for the Linde brand. Dr. Matthias Schmitz (45), finance and IT director, and Klaus Hofmann (55), who is responsible for hydraulics, will continue to serve on the management board of Linde Material Handling. Christophe Lautray's successor as managing director of Fenwick will be Jérôme Wencker (39), who is currently responsible for sales and service at Fenwick.

The Company

The KION Group, with its Linde, STILL, OM and Baoli brands, is Europe's market leader in industrial trucks, the global number two in the industry and the leading international supplier in China. The KION Group employed over 21,000 people and generated revenue of around EUR4.6 billion in the 2008 financial year.

For further information please contact

Michael Hauger
Head of Communications and Investor Relations
Tel.: +49 (0)611 770 655
Email: michael.hauger@kiongroup.com

Frank Kopfinger
Head of Investor Relations
Tel.: +49 (0)611 770 220
Email: frank.kopfinger@kiongroup.com

 

Ihre Ansprechpartner

Dr. Christopher Spies

Director Group Communications

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