Dr. Kimmich, CFO and deputy CEO, will succeed Dr. Pleßke, who is scheduled to retire as planned on Dec. 31, 2025 and will assume special responsibilities within the group as a Member of the Executive Board until then.
“I am very pleased that Dr. Stephen Kimmich is succeeding me as CEO,” Dr. Pleßke said. “He has proven in recent years as CFO and deputy CEO that he can lead Koenig & Bauer successfully. With his extensive wealth of knowledge – both in our markets and technologies, in mechanical engineering and in finance – he is the ideal person for this position. In addition, every generational change always brings new impulses for a company.”
Dr. Kimmich has been with Koenig & Bauer since 2020 and has taken on increasing responsibility for the company during this time. He studied mechanical engineering and business administration in the USA, UK and Germany. His 25 years of global industrial experience in mechanical engineering and the automotive industry have given him not only a deep understanding of international business processes, but also the ability to lead and transform companies in a dynamic environment.
At Koenig & Bauer, he initially served as CFO, responsible for finance, capital market communications, IT, and strategic M&A. In December 2023, he was appointed deputy CEO and, in April 2024, additionally assumed responsibility for the business segment Special as a member of the Executive Board.
Now, the next step is taking place with his appointment as successor to Dr. Andreas Pleßke as chairman of the Executive Board at the Annual General Meeting in June 2025. The term is for five years.
“With Dr. Stephen Kimmich, we have the ideal candidate to take on the role of CEO in the generational transition,” said Prof. Dr. Raimund Klinkner, chairman of the Supervisory Board. “In addition to his international experience and his profile as an engineer and financial expert, he has built up a profound knowledge of our business processes, products, markets, and customers over the past five years at Koenig & Bauer.”
“Koenig & Bauer looks back on a success story spanning over 200 years,” Dr. Kimmich added. “Over the last five years, I have cultivated a deep passion for this excellent company and our industry. I look forward to leading Koenig & Bauer into the future together with the new management team and our dedicated employees, and most of all to being successful together with our customers and partners.”
The Supervisory Board of Koenig & Bauer AG has appointed Dr. Alexander Blum as the new CFO for a three-year term, effective July 1, 2025.
Dr. Blum has extensive and long-standing experience in finance. He studied business administration and earned his doctorate before beginning his career in industry. Over the past 20 years, he has successfully served as CFO in various companies in the IT sector, logistics, and mechanical engineering, among others. He brings experience from a broad range of family businesses, private equity-led companies, and publicly traded companies.
“With Dr. Alexander Blum, we have gained an excellent candidate who brings extensive international experience in the financial and capital markets sector and will help shape the future as CFO of Koenig & Bauer,” Dagmar Rehm, deputy chairwoman of the Supervisory Board, added.
Dr. Blum will begin his work at Koenig & Bauer on May 1, 2025, to ensure a smooth transition of the future CEO and CFO roles.
The Group’s restructuring, announced in November 2024, is being rapidly advanced. It essentially envisages a reduction from three to two business segments and a reduction of the Executive Board from five to two members.
Dr. Pleßke will assume special responsibilities as a member of the Executive Board following the transfer of functions at the Annual General Meeting and will retire as planned at the end of the year. He has carefully prepared the succession arrangements and the simultaneous generational transition, combined with a reorganization of the Group’s segments, together with the Supervisory Board.
Due to the elimination of the COO position in December 2024, Christoph Müller’s resignation from the Executive Board in March 2025, and the departure of Ralf Sammeck, who will retire in June 2025, the Executive Board will be adjusted to the planned size of two members as of January 1, 2026.
By focusing on two segments, the Group can respond even quicker to customer requirements. In addition to the CEO and CFO on the Executive Board, Koenig & Bauer has appointed two new members to the group management team in recent months.
With Christian Steinmaßl, who is responsible for various areas in the newly created Special & New Technologies segment, and Markus Weiß, who leads the Paper & Packaging Sheetfed Systems segment, the group has the expertise on board to best address its strategy and challenges.
“Within just one year, we have now completed a comprehensive restructuring of the group,” Prof. Dr. Raimund Klinkner, chairman of the Supervisory Board, noted. “This commitment is the tailwind with which the new management team will shape the future of the company and the industry.”
