Tanks & Containers
March/April 2018
B ULK D ISTRIBUTOR
9
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ertschi Group will have a new CEO from the middle of
this year.
Jan Arnet, 44, will take up the reins on 1 August, while Hans-Jörg
Bertschi, 60, the majority shareholder, chairman of the board and
current CEO, will focus on the chairmanship and on strategic
projects for the group.
Arnet joined the group as assistant to the group management in
2003. In 2004 he became CFO and one year later CEO of the
newly acquired subsidiary Nordic Bulkers in Gothenburg, Sweden.
From 2009 onwards he was responsible for the group’s market
entry into the Middle East. Arnet was appointed CFO in 2011, and
since 2013 has headed the group’s largest business unit, Liquids
Logistics Europe.
Employees are at the core of Bertschi’s logistics services. At the most recent annual meeting of employees in Dürrenäsch, a total of 115 ‘jubilees’ from all over Europe were honoured for their long-
term commitment
Hans-Jörg Bertschi will focus on the
chairmanship of the group and on
strategic projects
Jan Arnet has been with Bertschi Group since
2003
Out of 30 years in the company, Hans-Jörg Bertschi has served 24
as chairman and CEO. “My decision to withdraw from the
operational management of the company is the result of careful
consideration within the board of directors and the family,” he
said. “We fi rmly believe that this is the right step at the right time
for the company, its customers and its staff.”
Digitalisation and expanding markets are major challenges for the
chemical logistics industry, he pointed out. “A broader
management team will help Bertschi stay ahead in this fast
changing environment. As executive chairman of the board, I will
continue to work on a full-time basis and focus on the group’s
strategy and innovation projects at group level.”
For the company, this is also an important step to secure a long-
term succession, based on continuity. “We want the Bertschi Group
to remain a family business. Alongside the second generation,
represented by my sister Brigitta Berner-Bertschi and myself, already
three members of the third generation are currently working in fi rst
management positions within the company. Our third generation
can see itself taking over the company management at a later point
in time,” said Bertschi.
Santiago Gonzalez, 40, will lead the Liquid Logistics Europe unit from
August. Gonzalez is currently head of the Bertschi subsidiaries in Spain
and Portugal, and has been with Bertschi for the past eight years. “We
are delighted to welcome Santiago Gonzalez on our management
team, he will make it even more international,” said Arnet.
Bright prospects
The management change is taking place in a period of growth for
Bertschi. The group has expanded steadily over the past decades,
growing in its core area of logistics for the chemical industry. In
2012 the company launched a globalisation strategy, based on a
strong market position in Europe. As a result, more than one third
of group sales now take place outside Europe. Thanks to the
company’s global expansion, the strong economy and an
acquisition in Belgium, group turnover increased by over 20 percent
last year to around SwFr900 million.
Despite the prolonged interruption of rail tracks near Rastatt,
Germany, which caused major disruptions in intermodal transport
in Europe, Bertschi achieved overall a good fi nancial result in 2017.
“Our prospects for 2018 are promising. In order to meet the
growing demand of our customers, we have once more decided on
substantial investments in expanding our logistics capacities in
Europe and globally. Digitalising our business processes is another
important focus for the group this year,” Hans-Jörg Bertschi said.
Two fl oors will be added to the company headquarters in
Dürrenäsch, Switzerland this, while last year Bertschi also acquired
a large industrial site in Port of Antwerp. As from this year, the area
will be reconstructed step-by-step to a logistics hub for chemical
products.