SCHUNK is setting the course for the future with a carefully prepared change in management. Dr. Sebastian Hesse (CFO) and Johannes Ketterer (COO/CSO), who both began their careers at SCHUNK after their studies, have developed through various stages to become members of the management team. After many successful years, they are now handing over their responsibilities to new hands.
Dr. Sebastian Hesse will leave the management team at his own request and for personal reasons after 13 years with the company on September 30, 2025. 'It has been an exciting and fulfilling time during which I was able to achieve a lot together with a strong team. I am grateful for the trust that has been placed in me over all these years,' says Sebastian Hesse.
Johannes Ketterer will resign from his position as COO/CSO after 12 years at SCHUNK on December 1, 2025, to join his family business. As a new member of the supervisory board, he will continue to strategically support SCHUNK and actively contribute to the development of the company. 'The strong team and the sense of belonging at SCHUNK are something very special. Therefore, I am looking forward to remaining part of the team in another capacity,' emphasizes Johannes Ketterer.
On December 1, 2025, Falk Bäurle will assume the role of COO/CFO. He has extensive experience in international leadership positions. Most recently, he was CFO at BBS Automation GmbH, a subsidiary of the Dürr Group. The new dual role creates additional synergies, strengthens international collaboration, and enables SCHUNK to respond even more specifically to market demands. The role of CSO will be taken over by Karl Heckl on April 1, 2026, who previously worked as CSO at U.I. Lapp GmbH.
With his broad sales and industry experience, he will further develop SCHUNK's international sales strategy, drive growth programs in future industries, and strengthen the brand in a future- and market-oriented manner. Together with Kristina I. Schunk as CEO and Chair of the Management Board and Timo Gessmann, CTO, they form the management team of SCHUNK.
'I would like to thank Mr. Hesse and Mr. Ketterer for their always trusting cooperation and enthusiasm in advancing our company together with a strong team over many years. With clarity, high commitment, and a lot of foresight, they have decisively shaped the course of corporate development,' emphasizes Kristina I. Schunk. At the same time, she looks to the future and is excited to work with Timo Gessmann in the new management team: 'With Falk Bäurle and Karl Heckl, we are bringing two internationally experienced leaders on board who will set new impulses, decisively utilize market potentials, and specifically further develop our position as a technology pioneer for our global customers and partners.'
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