KION Germany Photo: ARNE DEDERT/ZUMA PRESS

Hasan Dandashly and Andreas Krinninger appointed to the Executive Board of KION GROUP AG

  • All operating activities to be directly represented on the Executive Board
  • Henry Puhl appointed as future CTO and successor to Eike Böhm from July 1, 2021
  • The organizational basis for profitable growth significantly strengthened
  • CEO Riske: “We have outgrown the structures that we had as a mid-sized company. In the future, we will be able to make even better use of the available resources to further expand our strong market position as part of our ‘KION 2027’ strategy.”

Going forward, all operating activities will be directly represented on the Executive Board of KION GROUP AG. The Group’s Supervisory Board has appointed Hasan Dandashly (61) and Andreas Krinninger (53) as additional members of the Group’s Executive Board effective January 2021.

Hasan Dandashly will have Executive Board responsibility for the Supply Chain Solutions (SCS) segment, which comprises the global business of Dematic. He has been President & CEO of KION subsidiary Dematic since 2018.

Andreas Krinninger will assume responsibility within the Executive Board for the EMEA business of the Industrial Trucks and Services (ITS) segment, which includes the operational business of KION brand companies Linde Material Handling, STILL, and Baoli in the EMEA region. Andreas Krinninger has been President & CEO of Linde Material Handling EMEA since 2016 and before that held various roles including Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Linde Material Handling.

Ching Pong Quek will retain responsibility within the KION Group’s Executive Board for the Industrial Trucks and Services (ITS) segment in the APAC and Americas regions. Anke Groth will continue as CFO and Labor Relations Director. CEO is Gordon Riske.

“By integrating direct responsibility for operations into the Executive Board, we are establishing a strong organizational basis for the future global growth of the KION Group,” says Michael Macht, chairman of the Supervisory Board. “The expansion of the Executive Board reflects the rapidly increasing importance of our high-growth Supply Chain Solutions segment. At the same time, we are creating the conditions for an even clearer positioning of our ITS brands Linde Material Handling, STILL, and Baoli in the EMEA markets.”

The Supervisory Board of the KION Group has also made another decision that will ensure long-term continuity within the CTO role: Henry Puhl (50), President & CEO of STILL EMEA since 2016, has been appointed as a member of the Executive Board from July 1, 2021. He will succeed Professor Eike Böhm, who will be retiring on June 30, 2021. Eike Böhm has successfully built up the CTO organization during his six years with the Group and has made an important contribution to the strong technological position of the Group today.

Gordon Riske CEO of KION GROUP AG headshot

Gordon Riske

“We began in 2006 with the organizational structures of a mid-sized business and a revenue of €3 billion. The KION Group is now a global group of companies with a broad portfolio of products and services that operates in more than 100 countries and, in 2019, reported revenue of almost €9 billion – almost three times as much as when we began 14 years ago,” says Gordon Riske, Chief Executive Officer of KION GROUP AG. “We have outgrown our current structure. And we have never had opportunities as ample as today,” he adds, pointing to the current market dynamic and the rapid technological progress that is transforming the intralogistics sector. “We want to reflect this positive development. Linking the Operating Units directly to the Executive Board will enable us to use our technological capabilities and resources and our global sales and services units more efficiently in the future. The aim of our ‘KION 2027’ strategy is to further strengthen our strong competitive position. The Supervisory Board has laid the groundwork to do this.”