Changes in the management of SMS group GmbH
February 25, 2019
The SMS group GmbH, headquartered in Düsseldorf, Germany, has announced the expansion of its management team. The company stated that Prof Dr Hans Ferkel will become Chief Technology Officer, Michael Rzepczyk will become Chief Operating Officer and Dr Guido Kleinschmidt will leave the Management Board.
Ferkel currently serves as Head of Technology and Innovation at thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG. Previously, he held senior management R&D positions at Volkswagen. It was added that Ferkel will begin his work as Chief Technology Officer at the earliest possible date.
As of March 1, 2019, Rzepczyk will take on the role of Chief Operating Officer of SMS group GmbH. Rzepczyk currently serves as Executive Vice President of the Business Unit Metallurgy and is mainly responsible for the execution of major projects.
Next to Ferkel and Rzepczyk, the five-member management team consists of Torsten Heising (Finance) and Prof Dr Katja Windt (Digitalisation) headed by long-standing chairman Burkhard Dahmen.
“I am delighted to welcome Prof Dr Ferkel and Mr Rzepczyk to our management team. They are experienced industry experts and will support SMS in further expanding its market leadership in metallurgical plant construction,” stated CEO Burkhard Dahmen. “The Management Board is now perfectly positioned to implement our growth strategy and to remain a key partner for our most sophisticated customers.”
On February 28, 2019, Kleinschmidt will leave the Management Board, at his own request, to take up a new role outside the SMS group GmbH. “We would like to thank Dr Kleinschmidt for his successful work. His professional competence has earned him a strong reputation both within our company and with our business partners. We wish him all the best, health and personal well-being in the future,” added Dahmen.
