STOCKDORF, Germany & MUNICH--()--After 18 successful years in corporate management as of January 1, 2013 Franz-Josef Kortüm (62) will hand over the reins of the Chairman of the Management Board of Webasto SE to his current deputy Dr. Holger Engelmann (47). This resolution was taken at the Supervisory Board meeting of Webasto SE on July 17, 2012.
As part of the restructuring of the Webasto Group, Dr. Kortüm is the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of both, since July 1 legally autonomous, divisions Webasto Roof & Components SE (roof systems) and Webasto Thermo & Comfort SE (thermo systems). He will also continue to hold these positions after his withdrawal from operational management. In addition, at the request of the family shareholders, he will join the Supervisory Board of Webasto SE (Holding) in the course of 2013.
The family shareholders and the Supervisory Board highlighted the outstanding achievements of Franz-Josef Kortüm and thanked him for his extraordinary commitment. Werner Baier, Chairman of the Supervisory Board and Webasto shareholder put it this way: “As one of the longest serving and most experienced Board Chairmen in the automotive industry, Franz-Josef Kortüm has very decisively driven the expansion of Webasto since 1994.“
Since Kortüm joined Webasto, the company has enjoyed consistent growth. During this time, revenue has almost quadrupled to 2.3 Billion Euros in 2011. The strategic decisions taken under his leadership contributed significantly to the growth of Webasto – as for example with the entry into the convertible roof business in 2000 and the decision early on, to invest in Asia and especially in the growth market of China. “Franz-Josef Kortüm hands over a well-ordered house. Webasto is the world market leader in its three core business units, we have a strong management team and a very solid financial foundation. We – the company and the family – are very grateful that he will continue to be with us in the future as a Supervisory Board member in various boards and support us with his extensive experience and expertise. As is customary for us at Webasto, thanks to long-term planning, continuity and change go hand in hand”, Baier further elaborates.
Effective as per January 1, 2013, Dr. Holger Engelmann has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Management Board of Webasto SE. “Dr. Engelmann has proven himself in various Board positions at Webasto” according to Werner Baier. “As the Chief Financial Officer and head of the largest division he has already clearly demonstrated that he is optimally equipped for his new role.” It was also for this reason that he was already appointed Deputy Chairman of the Management Board in April 2010.
With his doctorate in business Holger Engelmann brings not only his experience in the automotive sector to bear but also a considerable amount of solid knowledge in the mechanical engineering industry. Since August 2008 he has been Chairman of the largest division for roof systems and since April 2010 the Deputy Chairman of the Management Board. He came on board in April 2007 as the Chief Financial Officer and held this position in a dual responsibility role until April 2010. Before joining Webasto he spent nine years in various leadership positions at Mannesmann Plastics Machinery, ultimately as CFO of the corporate group. He began his career at the former Mannesmann subsidiary Fichtel and Sachs in the areas of strategy and controlling.
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About Webasto:
The Webasto Group, based in Stockdorf near Munich, Germany has been a family-owned company ever since its founding in 1901. As of July 1, 2012 the former Webasto AG was transferred to Webasto SE (Holding). The two corporate divisions for roof and thermo systems were spun off into legally autonomous companies, also in the legal form of SE: Webasto Roof & Components SE and Webasto Thermo & Comfort SE. Both companies are owned 100% by Webasto SE.
The group operates internationally at over 50 locations (over 30 of these production sites) in the divisions roof and thermo systems. Webasto is one of the top 100 automotive supply firms worldwide. In 2011 the Group generated a sales volume of 2.3 Billion Euros, which represents a revenue increase over the previous year of 12.6 percent, and had more than 9,500 employees per end or year. Its core competencies encompass the development, production and sales of complete roof and convertible roof systems as well as heating, cooling and ventilation systems for passenger cars, commercial and specialty vehicles, recreational vehicles and boats. For more information, please visit us at www.webasto.com