In an early decision, the Supervisory Board of GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft has unanimously appointed Stefan Klebert (60) as Chairman of the Executive Board for a further two years – through the end of December 2028 – and extended his term of office accordingly.
Prof. Dieter Kempf, Chairman of the GEA Supervisory Board: “The Supervisory Board is delighted that Stefan Klebert has agreed to extend his term of office, thus continuing our successful and trust-based cooperation. He has been highly successful in driving the company’s transformation and securing GEA’s entry into the DAX. We are convinced that his strategic foresight and clear direction will guide GEA into its next phase of growth.”
Top GEA executives appointed to head restructured Executive Board areas
As well as extending the CEO’s contract, the Supervisory Board also resolved to expand the Executive Board to six Executive Board areas from 2026. Successful executives from GEA’s existing divisional and functional leadership team have been appointed to head these new areas:
Alexander Kocherscheidt (51) is appointed to be Chief Financial Officer (CFO). He will succeed Bernd Brinker (60), who will leave GEA effective 31 October, 2025, by mutual consent. This enables a further reduction in the average age of the Executive Board and an early succession for the CFO position, in line with the overall reorganization concept. Alexander Kocherscheidt, currently CFO of the Liquid & Powder Technologies Division, joined GEA in 2019 as Head of Group Finance, having previously held various management positions at ThyssenKrupp. He began his career in investment banking at Sal. Oppenheim.
Dr. Nadine Sterley (44) will assume responsibility for the new People & Sustainability Executive Board area, as well as the role of Director of Labor. Her area of responsibility will include the HR, Sustainability, and Legal core functions. To date, she has served as GEA’s Chief Sustainability Officer and Chief Human Rights Officer. Prior to this and since mid-2016, she held various positions within the company. Before joining GEA, Nadine Sterley worked as an attorney at a prestigious international law firm.
Kai Becker (44) will assume Executive Board responsibility for the Pure Flow Processing Division. This restructured division will comprise the Separation & Flow Technologies Division and the components business of Heating & Refrigeration Technologies. The Heating & Refrigeration Technologies Division currently headed by Kai Becker will be dissolved as of December 31, 2025. Kai Becker has worked for GEA since 2004.
Klaus Stojentin (58) will assume Executive Board responsibility for the Nutrition Plant Engineering Division. This restructured division will combine the business of the Liquid & Powder Technologies Division with the Heating & Refrigeration Solutions business of the Heating & Refrigeration Technologies Division. Klaus Stojentin joined GEA in 2003 and currently heads the Separation & Flow Technologies Division.
Peter Lauwers (55) will assume Executive Board responsibility for the Pharma & Food Applications Division, currently known as the Food & Healthcare Technologies Division; the Division’s portfolio will remain unchanged. He has served as Divisional CEO at GEA since 2020, leading Farm Technologies until 2024 and Food & Healthcare Technologies thereafter. Peter Lauwers previously held various senior management positions at Atlas Copco.
All new members of the Executive Board will serve for a term of three years until December 31, 2028, with the exception of Alexander Kocherscheidt, who has been appointed until October 31, 2028.
The Farm Technologies Division will continue to be led by Dr. Andreas Seeringer (44) and will report directly to the CEO.
“The Supervisory Board looks forward to fruitful collaboration with the new Executive Board team,” says Prof. Dieter Kempf. “We are firmly convinced that the new Executive Board members embody exactly the right mix of entrepreneurship, drive, and innovative spirit. They have demonstrated these attributes impressively in their previous roles at GEA. Together, they will make a pivotal contribution to GEA’s continued development as a technology and sustainability pioneer. At the same time, we extend our sincere thanks to Bernd Brinker, who is leaving by mutual agreement, for his important contributions and outstanding commitment. We greatly welcome that Johannes Giloth will support the transition phase of the COO area until mid-2026. We also thank him warmly for his very successful work, which has significantly contributed to the increase in value of GEA in recent years.”
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