Dual leadership at AERO-LIFT
PEOPLE WATCH
AERO-LIFT Vakuumtechnik GmbH , a manufacturer of vacuum-lifting devices and solutions , confirmed that Ms Katja Haak was appointed managing director as of 1 January 2024 . Together with Tobias Pauli , who continues to act as managing director , she will continue to drive the company forward .
“ Ms Haak has extensive expertise in financial management , corporate management and strategic planning . During her time as commercial director and authorised signatory , she has made a decisive contribution to making AERO-LIFT fit for the future and increasing operational efficiency ,” commented the company .
The decision to divide the management between two heads emphasises the strategic orientation of AERO-LIFT to “ master the variety of entrepreneurial challenges more effectively and further increase the company ’ s innovative strength .”
The family business was founded in Geislingen-Binsdorf / Baden-Württemberg ( Germany ), where its headquarters are still located . It supplies a range of products from tube lifters ; vacuum lifters and area grippers for automation technology to components ; crane systems and services . n
New dual leadership in the management of AERO-LIFT : Katja Haak and Tobias Pauli will jointly manage the company from 1 January 2024 .
www . aero-lift . de / en
Langer becomes CFO at DIEFFENBACHER
Following a succession plan , German machine and plant manufacturer DIEFFENBACHER changed the responsibilities and composition of its Management Board as of 1 January 2024 .
With the appointment of DIEFFENBACHER shareholder Lukas Langer to the management team , it will grow from three to four members . Lukas Langer will take over the position of Chief Financial Officer ( CFO ) from Volker Kitzelmann , who will continue as a member of the Management Board . The responsibilities of CEO , Christian Dieffenbacher , and CTO , Lothar Fischer , remain unchanged .
Lukas Langer joined DIEFFENBACHER in February 2021 and has since assumed
Lukas Langer .
Reed becomes EVP / COO
Alcoa Corporation has appointed Matt Reed as Alcoa ’ s Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer from 1 January 2024 . Reed , who will be based in Western Australia , will lead Alcoa ’ s global operations including bauxite mines , alumina refineries and aluminium smelters . He will be accountable for operational excellence focusing on safety , environmental management , productivity , cost management and long-term strategic planning .
Reed joined Alcoa in June 2023 . He will continue as Vice President Operations , Australia , and President , Alcoa of Australia , until 31 January 2024 , at which point an interim Vice President Operations for Australia will be appointed . A permanent Vice President Operations for Australia will be named after a competitive search process . n www . alcoa . com responsibilities for HR and IT across the Group . He also played a key role in shaping the acquisition process for DIEFFENBACHER Energy GmbH in 2022 and 2023 and subsequently establishing the new Energy business unit . After studying business administration at the University of Mannheim ( B . Sc .) as well as at the London School of Economics and Yale University ( M . Sc .), Langer initially worked for five years in Purchasing for steel and body parts at what is now Mercedes-Benz AG and on the strategy team for the Board of Management ( with a focus on production ).
“ I am proud to be following in the footsteps of my grandfather , Albert
Thomas Thym succeeded Stefan Kasperowski as Head of BMW Group Plant Landshut on 1 December 2023 . The 52-year-old has been at Plant Landshut since 2019 in the role of Vice President Purchasing ,
Thomas Thym .
Quality and Production Cockpit and Door Panels . After almost four years at Landshut , Kasperowski will head up high-voltage battery production at Dingolfing and Regensburg .
Thym began his career at the BMW Group in 1997 as a project manager in vehicle assembly at Plant Regensburg . This was followed by roles at the MINI plant in Oxford , England , and at
Dieffenbacher , who ran the company with his cousin Gerhard from 1952 to 1985 in the third generation , and my uncle Axel Dieffenbacher who was part of the management team from 1997 to 2012 ,” said Langer . “ I am very much looking forward to my new role and , above all , to working even more closely with Christian , Lothar Fischer and Volker Kitzelmann on the Management Board .”
In the new composition of the DIEFFENBACHER Management Board , Volker Kitzelmann ’ s role will include , among other duties , overall responsibility for the Energy business unit which was founded at the beginning of 2023 . n
www
. dieffenbacher . de
Thym heads BMW Plant Landshut
Group headquarters in Munich , Germany .
After assignments as head of the international purchasing office in India , the Munich-born mechanical engineering graduate took over responsibility for the strategic direction of the BMW Group ’ s purchasing and supplier network . Since 2019 , Thym has headed both global purchasing and the supplier network for interior components , as well as production of interior parts such as cockpits and door panels at Landshut and Wackersdorf . n
www . bmwgroup . com
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