Marcus A. Ketter appointed new Chief Financial Officer of GEA

The Supervisory Board of GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft has appointed Marcus A. Ketter (50) to the company’s Executive Board with effect from May 20, 2019. He is set to succeed the long-standing Chief Financial Officer, Dr. Helmut Schmale (62), who will leave the company as of May 17, 2019. This ties in with the changing of the guard heralded by a new CEO taking the helm of the company. Marcus A. Ketter will join GEA following his stint with Klöckner & Co SE, the steel and metal distributor, where he has been instrumental in shaping the company’s performance management in his capacity as CFO over the previous six years.

Dr. Helmut Perlet, Chairman of GEA’s Supervisory Board, states: “With Marcus A. Ketter, GEA has managed to win over a financial expert with a strong international focus and plenty of experience in capital markets. Moreover, Marcus A. Ketter has a deep knowledge of process optimization as well as digitalization and IT in globally active groups. We are happy that, in addition to our future CEO, Stefan Klebert, we have been able to convince another renowned manager to join GEA’s Executive Board. The Supervisory Board is confident that the new leadership team will offer fresh ideas and lead the company into a profitable and sustainable future.”   

Marcus A. Ketter, a graduate economist, started his professional career in 1993 at the STEAG AG power company where he served as controller while managing the board office. In 1999, he joined STEAG RTP Systems Inc. in the USA, a subsidiary specialized in semiconductor manufacture. When this corporate entity was taken over by Mattson Technology Inc., he set up the finance and IR department. Between 2003 and 2011, he held various leadership positions at thyssenkrupp, where his last function was that of CFO Central and Eastern Europe at ThyssenKrupp Elevator GmbH. From 2011 until its takeover by Andritz AG one year later, Ketter held the position of CFO and Labor Director at the industrial group Schuler AG, where he ensured that the company’s share was included in the SDAX. Since early 2013, he has served as CFO at Klöckner & Co SE. There he has played a major role in the digitalization of business processes while advancing the performance management of the company. Marcus A. Ketter holds an MBA from Columbia Business School, New York/USA.

Stefan Klebert, who is going to take over as CEO of GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft on February 18, 2019, stated: “I am delighted that the Supervisory Board has appointed Marcus A. Ketter as CFO of the company. I have a high regard for him and know him well, not only based on our previous cooperation, but fully cognizant of the respect accorded to him in the capital market. His many years of experience as Chief Financial Officer of listed companies as well as his expertise in performance management will greatly benefit our team.“ 

As of May 17, 2019, Dr. Helmut Schmale (62) will hand over responsibility for finances on GEA’s Executive Board to Marcus A. Ketter and leave the company. Since 1993, he has held various leadership positions at GEA and was appointed to the Executive Board as CFO in April 2009.

Dr. Helmut Perlet also expressed his gratitude to the outgoing Chief Financial Officer: “At this juncture, I would already like to expressly thank Dr. Helmut Schmale on behalf of the entire Supervisory Board for his many years of service for GEA as well as his unwavering, constructive and successful cooperation. In the course of his 25 years with GEA - ten of which as Chief Financial Officer - he has left his mark on the company during its journey to become a globally active player.”