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Heidelberg Reorganizes Board, Hundsdörfer New CEO

Rainer Hundsdörfer is to become the new Chief Executive Officer of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG on November 14, succeeding the departing Gerold Linzbach, which was previously announced a few weeks ago.

Management board member Harald Weimer, responsible for Heidelberg Services, will be stepping down at his own request as of November 13, 2016, and will supervise a transition to March 31, 2017. With Weimer’s pending departure, Ulrich Hermann is to become a regular member of the company’s management board. Stephan Plenz’s management board contract has been extended, as scheduled, for a further three years.

“We sincerely thank Gerold Linzbach for successfully turning around the company. Heidelberg is well on track,” said Siegfried Jaschinski, Chairman of the Heidelberg Supervisory Board. “We are delighted to have gained an internationally experienced leadership personality in Rainer Hundsdörfer to drive forward the reorientation of the company. Hundsdörfer has acquired many years of specialist expertise with global technology leaders that will help pave the way forward to a successful digital future at Heidelberg.”

Hundsdörfer has managed a number of leading industrial technology companies, most recently as chairman of the board of management of ebm-papst, described as a world-leading manufacturer of fans and motors. Prior to this, he was Chairman of the Industry Division and member of the executive board at Schaeffler. After graduating in business engineering, Hundsdörfer started work for Trumpf in Ditzingen and performed various managerial roles abroad. After this, he was appointed CEO of Weinig AG, a machines and systems manufacturer for timber processing based in Tauberbischofsheim in Baden-Württemberg.

“Heidelberg is moving toward customer-focused technology and services in what is a changed market environment,” notes Hundsdörfer. “We now need to make solid use of the opportunities digitization presents for profitable growth.”

Ulrich Hermann, who becomes a member of Heidelberg’s management board effective November 14, was most recently CEO of Wolters Kluwer Germany and regional managing director of Wolters Kluwer Central Europe. Prior to this, he was member of the management board of Süddeutscher Verlag Hüthig Fachinformation. After graduating in mechanical engineering, he gained his doctorate in business economics in St. Gallen in 1996. He launched his business career in 1997 with a number of managerial positions at Bertelsmann AG.

“Dr. Hermann has been successful in realigning conventional business models throughout his career. Heidelberg will benefit from his experience in the future,” explains Jaschinski.