Change at the helm of STILL GmbH

Henry Puhl wird neuer Vorsitzender der Geschäftsführung der STILL GmbH und President STILL EMEA

2016-01-18 / 10:30:26

  • On 1 April 2016 Henry Puhl will become the new Managing Director and President of STILL EMEA
  • KION CEO Gordon Riske: "Henry Puhl will bring a wealth of management expertise to the product, marketing and sales side of the business."
  • Karl-Heinz Birkner to succeed Olaf Schulz as STILL Finance Director

Wiesbaden/Hamburg, 18 January 2016 - The Supervisory Board of STILL GmbH, the Hamburg-based supplier of premium forklift trucks and warehouse technology, has appointed Henry Puhl (45) as its new Managing Director. He will take charge of the company on 1 April 2016, taking over from the CEO of KION GROUP AG, Gordon Riske, who has been running the STILL business since the beginning of last year. Puhl, who holds a PhD in mechanical engineering, will also be head of the new KION operating unit STILL EMEA, which focuses on the core market of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. In addition, he will be a member of the new Group Executive Committee (GEC), which advises the KION Executive Board and integrates input from the four operating units. The committee is appointed by the KION Executive Board and consists of the Executive Board and the Presidents of the operating units.

Karl-Heinz Birkner (59), who is currently in charge of Accounting, Tax and Financial Services at the KION Group, will succeed Olaf Schulz (48) as Finance Director of STILL on 1 February. The Supervisory Board acted on Mr Schulz's request to have his contract terminated early.

Henry Puhl's most recent position was on the executive board of agricultural machinery manufacturer Claas, where he headed up the grain harvest business segment. He previously oversaw the ball bearings business at the Schaeffler Group. Prior to that, while working for the US agricultural machinery manufacturer John Deere, he held various management positions in Germany and India. Puhl began his career in 1999 at ThyssenKrupp Automotive as a project manager in the engineering and capital investment department.

"Mr Puhl will bring a wealth of management expertise to both the product side of the business and to marketing and sales, and can draw on years of experience from the automotive supplier and agricultural machinery sectors," said KION CEO, Gordon Riske. "Under his stewardship, STILL will continue to expand its offerings to the market and systematically align them to the needs of its customers."

Henry Puhl commented: "I am very excited about taking up a new challenge at the traditional yet forward-looking STILL brand company, where I will be looking to achieve profitable growth that will contribute to the success of the KION Group going forward."

Olaf Schulz will be leaving STILL GmbH on 31 January 2016 to pursue new professional challenges. Over the past two years, as Finance Director and Labour Relations Director on the Management Board, he has made a significant contribution to the change process at STILL GmbH by initiating an extensive and successful programme of process optimisation. The members of the STILL GmbH Supervisory Board and the KION Group Executive Board thank Olaf Schulz for his successful work: "Mr Schulz is leaving our Company of his own accord and by amicable and mutual consent. We would like to thank Mr Schulz for everything that he has achieved and wish him all the best as he embarks on a new chapter in his career."

STILL provides customised solutions for intralogistics worldwide through the intelligent interaction of forklift trucks, warehouse technology, software, services and after-sales care. Its portfolio ranges from industry-specific turnkey solutions for companies of all sizes to computer-based logistics programmes for the effective management of warehouses and material flows. In 2014 STILL employed more than 7,000 people and generated revenue of EUR1.851 billion.

Website: kiongroup.com/mediasite

Twitter: @kion_group


The Company

The KION Group - comprising the seven brands of Linde, STILL, Fenwick, OM STILL, Baoli, Voltas and Egemin Automation - is the largest manufacturer of industrial trucks in western and eastern Europe, the global number two in the industry and the leading non-domestic supplier in China. The Linde and STILL brands serve the premium segment worldwide. Fenwick is the largest supplier of material handling products in France, while OM STILL is a market leader in Italy. The Baoli brand focuses on the economy segment, and Voltas is a leading provider of industrial trucks in India. Egemin Automation is a leading Belgian logistics automation specialist.

The KION Group is present in more than 100 countries and, in 2014, employed almost 23,000 people and generated revenue of around EUR4.7 billion. KION GROUP AG is listed on Deutsche Börse's Frankfurt Stock Exchange, the MDAX (the German stock index for medium-sized companies) and the STOXX Europe 600 index, which comprises the 600 largest companies in Europe.


Disclaimer

This document and the information contained herein are for information purposes only and do not constitute a prospectus or an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities in the United States or in any other jurisdiction.

This release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Future results could differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements due to certain factors, e.g. changes in business, economic and competitive conditions, regulatory reforms, results of technical studies, foreign exchange rate fluctuations, uncertainties in litigation or investigative proceedings, and the availability of financing. We do not undertake any responsibility to update the forward-looking statements in this release.


Further information for the media

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

Frank Brandmaier
Head of Corporate Media Relations
Tel.: +49 (0)611 770 752
frank.brandmaier@kiongroup.com

Further information for investors

Frank Herzog
Head of Corporate Finance
Tel.: +49 (0)611 770 303
frank.herzog@kiongroup.com

Dr Karoline Jung-Senssfelder
Head of Investor Relations and M&A
Tel.: +49 (0)611 770 450
karoline.jung-senssfelder@kiongroup.com

Your Contacts

Dr. Christopher Spies

Senior Manager Corporate Communications

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