The supervisory board and management board of Heidelberg have decided to reorganise and further streamline its management structure.

As part of the change, its management board will be reduced to two people, consisting of the company’s CEO Rainer Hundsdörfer and chief financial officer Marcus A. Wassenberg.

To this end, the level below the management board, according to the company, will be “significantly strengthened” with a newly established executive committee.

The executive committee will be responsible for cross-product customer solutions and operational functions, and together with the management board will implement the transformation of the company.

As part of these changes, Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hermann is leaving the company by mutual agreement at the end of the current financial year 2019/20.

“By merging our management board divisions and setting up an executive committee, we aim to make our internal processes even more efficient so that we can drive forward the ongoing realignment of Heidelberg with even more vigor,” Hundsdörfer said.

The Heidelberg supervisory board thanked Prof. Dr. Hermann for his achievements and his successful commitment to Heidelberg as part of the digital transformation.

Supervisory board chairman Dr. Martin Sonnenschein said, “Over the past three years, Ulrich Hermann has shaped the further development of Heidelberg with innovative impetus and valuable contributions”.

“With his important pioneering work in the realignment of the company, the successful introduction of digital business models in the IoT sector, the subscription business and the establishment of the Heidelberg Digital Unit (HDU), he has laid a decisive foundation for the future direction of the company.

“Following the strategic concept and entrepreneurial development work, further implementation can now be carried out by the operational management. With the new management structure, we will now use and drive forward the opportunities arising from changed business models, technological change and new customer requirements.”

The newly established executive committee will also coordinate key operational functions and the operating business, and will be jointly responsible for everything from development to sales.

Heidelberg also recently made a new appointment in the US, naming Chris Raney as the vice-president of product management for its Postpress Commercial and Packaging division.

Raney comes on-board after Jörg Dähnhardt, who held this role previously, was promoted to worldwide head of postpress products and markets for Heidelberg Germany.

Dähnhardt, who has worked with Heidelberg both in the US and Germany, started his new role on January 1.

Dähnhardt said, “It is bittersweet leaving the US after 20 years, but I am excited to help grow Heidelberg’s postpress products worldwide. Chris is the perfect fit to take over my former role, and I am confident that he will do a great job supporting our sales team and customers in the US.”

With over 25 years of global print industry experience, Raney worked for Heidelberg previously – serving as vice-president of postpress packaging in the US from 2011 to 2015. From 2015, Raney acted as president of Baumer hhs in the US and Canada.

In his new role, Raney is responsible for US sales of Heidelberg’s postpress commercial and postpress packaging portfolio, which includes Stahlfolders, POLAR cutters, and MK die cutters and folder-gluers.

Raney reports directly to Felix Mueller, president of Heidelberg Americas, who said, “We are excited for Jörg’s opportunity to return to Germany and expand his role on the global level. At the same time, we are very happy to have Chris rejoin Heidelberg. With his extensive industry knowledge and previous experience with Heidelberg, there is no doubt he will hit the ground running – ready to support our customers and team.”

Raney added, “Jörg was able to successfully grow the postpress and packaging business in the US every year he was in this role. I am eager to pick up where he left off and continue the great success of this dynamic product range.”

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