Board changes at Aixtron
Bernd Schulte will retire next year to be replaced by Felix Grawert as CEO
Aixtron's supervisory board has appointed Jochen Linck as a new member of the executive board with effect from December 1, 2020 or earlier in the role of chief technical and chief operating officer. At his own request, board member Bernd Schulte will retire at the expiry of his contract on March 31, 2021 and Felix Grawert will take over as chairman and CEO.
Linck's appointment is for three years. As of April 1, 2021, he will assume responsibility at Aixtron for the areas of development, purchasing, manufacturing and logistics, quality management and IT.
Linck has many years of experience in international management functions in various areas such as development, product management or launch management. The 54-year-old most recently served on the Executive Committee of Diebold Nixdorf. a global provider of cash management and self-service machines for banking and retail. As managing director of DN Systems, he was responsible for the development and launch of a new product generation of ATMs. Prior to this, the engineer with a PhD in lean production was a partner at McKinsey & Company, with a functional focus on product development, production and strategy in the mechanical engineering, aerospace and automotive industries.
The supervisory board considers the technology expert with many years of management experience to be the ideal person to lead Aixtron into the next growth phase together with his colleagues on the board and the entire team.
In addition, the executive board is to be expanded to include a CFO, bringing the total number of members to three. The Supervisory Board's Nomination Committee is working to soon fill this position.
Aixtron's technologies address a number of different growth markets, for which market researchers predict double-digit annual growth rates over the next few years. Aixtron intends to benefit from this growth and, with an expanded board, sees itself well set up for the future.
Bernd Schulte has been with Aixtron since 1993 in various positions and has been a member of the board since 2002. Today, he manages the company together with Felix Grawert and intends to retire when his board contract expires in March 2021. Until then, Schulte will be at full disposal to the Company and the board to actively support his new colleagues.
Kim Schindelhauer, chairman of the Supervisory Board of Aixtron SE comments: "We would like to express our special thanks to Bernd Schulte, who has accompanied and successfully led Aixtron for more than 28 years at the time of his retirement. Schulte has shaped Aixtron with his deep understanding of technology, close customer relationships and entrepreneurial drive, and has made a significant contribution to the Company's success. On behalf of the Supervisory Board, I would like to thank Schulte for his many years of successful service to the Company. The Supervisory Board wishes him all the best for his personal future".
"The generational change in the Aixtron Group's leadership has started with the appointment of Felix Grawert in 2017. The appointment of Jochen Linck and the soon to be appointed CFO, will then complete the generational change. With this Management Team, the Company is excellently positioned for future growth," explains Kim Schindelhauer.
