Lightweight, high performance composites are increasingly finding their way into a growing array of industries. Gurit is introducing a new organization, as a measure to improve future growth both as supplier of a unique and comprehensive range of composite materials and, progressively, as a systems and engineering provider supplying composite tooling equipment, engineering and select finished parts. Gurit expects to grow its addressable composite market considerably by consistently leveraging its technological expertise, capabilities and industrial capacities in the course of the next years. The new organization will be effective as of February 1, 2013, and will comprise two business units:
Gurit Composite Materials covers the materials business of the existing target markets Wind Energy, Transportation and Marine and all others, as well as newly emerging composite applications. This unit covers the material categories prepregs, core materials and formulated products. Stefan Gautschi who will join Gurit on February 1, 2013 will lead this business unit (see also CV attached). The global composite materials market will be served through four market regions and all materials production sites will be managed by a global head of operations.
Gurit Composite Systems and Engineering unites the existing Tooling, Automotive Parts and Engineered Structures businesses under their current management and will be led by Rudolf Hadorn in addition to his function CEO.
Executive Committee
The Executive Committee (i.e. Group Management) thus comprises as of February 1, 2013 the following people and functions: Rudolf Hadorn: Chief Executive Officer and General Manager Gurit Composite Systems and Engineering; Markus Knüsli Amacker: Chief Financial Officer and Head Investor Relations; Stefan Gautschi: General Manager Gurit Composite Materials; Damian Bannister: Chief Technology Officer.
Rudolf Gerber, General Manager Wind Energy, will leave Gurit by mid-year to pursue other professional opportunities. The Board of Directors and Group Management would like to thank Rudolf Gerber for successfully leading this business unit during the past five years and especially for extending its product range to a full line offering. Gurit wishes Rudolf Gerber personally and professionally all the best.
Kees Reijnen, General Manager Transportation, and Paul Goddard, General Manager Industrial and Marine, will both assume new responsibilities within Gurit Composite Materials as Regional Sales Directors. Graham Harvey, General Manager Engineered Structures, and Bing Chen, General Manager Tooling, will continue to manage these activities.
Financial Reporting
Gurit will publish preliminary sales figures for FY 2012 on January 31, 2013 and publish its full annual results on March 12, 2013.
Information on new Executive Committee member Stefan Gautschi
Stefan Gautschi is a Swiss citizen born in 1968. He holds an MBA from the University of Arkansas/USA. Mr. Gautschi brings with him extensive international management experience from various management functions at Georg Fischer Piping Systems from 1995 until 2012, including Head of Division Utility (2011-2012), Chief Operating Officer (2009-2011), CFO and CIO (2004-2009), Managing Director China, China, (2001-2004), and CFO and Controller Georg Fischer Sloane Inc. USA.
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