The supervisory board of Krones Group has appointed Thomas Ricker as the new chief executive officer with effect from 11 June 2026. He will succeed Christoph Klenk, who, as part of a long-term succession plan and with the approval of the supervisory board, will step down early on 10 June 2026, following the annual general meeting scheduled for 9 June 2026. At the same time, the supervisory board has approved a new structure of the executive board with allocation of responsibilities to individual areas, which will take effect on 1 July 2026.
According to Volker Kronseder, chairman of the Krones Group supervisory board, the company is to continue its existing growth path. He emphasised that Krones is focusing on further strengthening its position as a provider of highly innovative solutions and service offerings, with a clear orientation towards customer needs. The supervisory board expressed its full confidence in Thomas Ricker in his new role, pointing to his extensive experience in mechanical and plant engineering, and his familiarity with Krones' portfolio and markets, confirmed by his many years on the executive board, most recently as chief sales officer.
The supervisory board also expressed its thanks to Christoph Klenk for nearly three decades of service at the company, including ten years as CEO. His role in steering the company through challenging market conditions while maintaining stability and long-term strategic orientation was highlighted. It was further noted that, despite stepping down from his position, he is expected to remain closely connected with Krones.
Continuation of strategy and leadership change
Commenting on the appointment of Thomas Ricker, Christoph Klenk pointed to his broad knowledge of the group's structures and his ability to implement decisions effectively. He noted that their many years of cooperation on the executive board were based on close and constructive relations. According to the outgoing CEO, Thomas Ricker enjoys high recognition in the market among customers, partners and employees of Krones. Christoph Klenk welcomed the supervisory board's decision and extended his best wishes to Ricker and the entire Krones team.
The new executive board structure, which will apply from 1 July 2026, is designed to support the achievement of the company's medium-term targets, including in the areas of profitable growth, innovation and efficiency. The changes include both maintaining continuity in key positions and creating new areas of responsibility that are important for Krones' activities as a supplier of complete filling and packaging lines and process solutions.
New allocation of responsibilities on the executive board
In the new structure, in addition to his role as CEO, Thomas Ricker will continue to serve as chief sales officer. This is intended to ensure continuity in market- and customer-related areas. Maintaining the combination of CEO and head of sales roles indicates a strong linkage between strategic direction and market policy as well as the order portfolio structure.
The chief financial officer position will remain with Uta Anders. She is responsible for key commercial functions as well as HR. From 1 July 2026, she will additionally assume responsibility for sustainability. Grouping finance, HR and sustainability in one executive area is intended to support a coherent approach to managing performance, human capital and environmental and social aspects.
Markus Tischer has been appointed chief technology officer. He will be responsible for core functions related to technology, innovation and digitalisation, as well as for machines and lines for filling and packaging technology. His main task will be the digital transformation of products, operational processes and business models. The contract of Markus Tischer has been extended for a further five years, until 31 December 2031, which underlines the long-term importance of technology and digitalisation in Krones' strategy.
Responsibility for International Operations and Services (IOS) will rest with Reinhold Jung, who takes over this area from Markus Tischer. The scope of IOS covers Krones' entire international service organisation and represents a key element of the corporate strategy in terms of maintaining high customer loyalty and differentiation in the market. Reinhold Jung has been with Krones since 1991, holding various management positions in Germany and abroad, most recently as head of the Middle East and Africa region. He has been appointed until 30 June 2029.
The Process and System Solutions area will be headed by Bülent Bayraktar. This new resort combines process technology, intralogistics and advanced moulding technology. The focus on this area is intended to exploit future growth opportunities and support entry into new markets. Bülent Bayraktar has worked at Krones since 2018 and most recently headed the process technology area. He began his career in industrial engineering and subsequently held several management positions at an international industrial company. His mandate also runs until 30 June 2029.
Importance of operations, services and technology in Krones' strategy
Under the new management structure, the Operations resort will continue to be led by Ralf Goldbrunner until 31 December 2026. After that date, this unit will be transferred to the area responsible for machines and lines for filling and packaging technology, remaining under his leadership. Continued oversight of the operations area is intended to enable further development based on the progress achieved in this key segment.
The supervisory board indicates that the new executive board structure is intended to ensure the company's competitiveness and long-term development capability, as well as the sustainable achievement of medium-term targets by 2028. Profitable growth, innovation and efficiency remain the main drivers of value creation for customers, shareholders and employees.
In the context of the personnel changes, the supervisory board stressed the importance of the role of Ralf Goldbrunner, thanking him for his many years of service on the executive board. It was noted that the Operations area is currently well structured and organised at an international level. The board also extended its best wishes for his continued work in the new structural configuration.
Maintaining continuity and achieving targets by 2028
The newly appointed CEO, Thomas Ricker, highlighted in his remarks the importance of business continuity in Krones' strategy. He noted that for 75 years the company has been based on operational stability and that maintaining this continuity remains a priority. Ricker stressed that he is looking forward to working with the new executive board team, whose members he has known for many years and whose competencies he values highly.
Thomas Ricker expressed his thanks to the supervisory board for the trust placed in him and in particular to Christoph Klenk, who, during the recent challenging years, set an early strategic course to strengthen Krones' competitiveness and future viability, thereby creating the basis for the next stages of development. He stated that, in close cooperation with employees worldwide and the executive board team, his first task will therefore be to continue implementing the company's growth and innovation strategy as a technology provider, with a clear focus on profitability.
The adopted personnel and organisational decisions structure the distribution of responsibilities between finance, sales, technology, operations, international services and process and system solutions. In the context of Krones' activities in the field of machines and lines for filling and packaging, as well as process technology for the beverage and food industries, the new executive board structure is expected to support further specialisation of individual areas and better alignment with the company's strategic priorities.
