Pfäffikon SZ, May 7, 2007 - The Board of Directors of OC Oerlikon Corporation AG, Pfäffikon, has appointed Dr. Uwe Krüger (42) to be the new CEO of Oerlikon Group. Uwe Krüger was previously Chief Operational Officer (COO) of the company. Thomas Limberger, the previous CEO, will leave the company with immediate effect. This was his own decision, taken freely and in agreement with the Board of Directors.
"We are pleased to present an excellently qualified and experienced new CEO in the person of Dr. Uwe Krüger", explains Georg Stumpf, Chairman of the Board of Directors of OC Oerlikon Corporation AG, Pfäffikon. This internal succession will guarantee stability for the company, from the top down through all levels of management, Stumpf continued. Uwe Krüger has got to know the company in all its business segments over the last months and can now take up responsibility as CEO immediately.
Uwe Krüger, who came to Oerlikon as COO from Hochtief, Inc. on March 1, 2007, takes over operational leadership of the company at just the right moment. What is needed now, working together with the Board and the shareholders, is to develop further the company's successful business strategy and build on Oerlikon's leading market positions in all its divisions.
It is already well known that Thomas Limberger did not seek re-election to the Board. He will step down from all positions of authority in the Oerlikon group. However, he will maintain his connection with the company in a consulting capacity. All the Directors thank him for his commitment to the company over the last three years, for his contribution to the success of the restructuring effort and for his energy and hard work in general. Thomas Limberger has been with the company since 2004, first as a director, then from June 2005 as CEO.
Before joining Oerlikon, the new CEO Uwe Krüger, who is a German citizen, was Senior Vice President with Hochtief, Inc., Wilmington, where he was responsible for the company's strategic development in the American market, and for M&A projects. He studied physics, mathematics and business sciences at Frankfurt university. He started his professional career as a consultant with the consulting firm A.T. Kearney. Later he joined the Hochtief group where he was put in charge of research and development, among other responsibilities. Uwe Krüger has extensive management experience in East Europe.
