Bernhard Schreier, CEO of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg), will be leaving the company at the end of 2012. The Supervisory Board unanimously appointed Dr. Gerold Linzbach (56) as Heidelberg CEO with effect from September 1, 2012. Schreier will ensure the transition goes smoothly and will accompany the handover process up till the end of the year.
Schreier is handing over the companys chairmanship after almost 13 years in charge. Over recent months, key steps have been taken to set the companys new strategic course and a start has been made on putting this into practice to return Heidelberg to sustained profitable growth. Whats more, the industry trade show drupa has led to the highest quarterly incoming orders in four years for the first quarter of financial year 2012/2013. The Supervisory Board and Schreier himself feel now is the right time to make the change in order to create new impetus at the very top of the company.
I would like to thank Bernhard Schreier for his achievements as Heidelberg CEO. In a career spanning a total of 37 years, 13 of them as CEO, he has truly made his mark on the company and has succeeded in guiding it through two major global economic crises and structural upheaval in the printing industry. Particularly in very difficult recent times, he has helped transform Heidelberg from a traditional press manufacturer into a solution and service provider in the print media industry, said Robert J. Koehler, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG.
Heidelberg is a global market leader and is renowned worldwide for its cutting-edge technology and customer proximity. In Dr. Gerold Linzbach, we are delighted to have found a successor with international experience to press ahead with the companys strategic reorientation and ensure its return to profitability. Dr. Linzbach has many years of management and capital market expertise, which will help pave the way for a successful future at Heidelberg, he added.
