Pfäffikon SZ, September 15, 2008 - Thomas Babacan - until now CEO of the Oerlikon Vacuum segment - has been appointed a member of the Executive Board of Oerlikon Group. From October 1st he will assume the function of Chief Operating Officer (COO) and report directly to Oerlikon CEO Dr. Uwe Krüger. „With more than ten years of experience, Thomas Babacan will focus on increasing shareholder value by improving operative performance and accelerating profitable growth", says CEO Krüger. Thomas Babacan will continue to head Oerlikon Vacuum as segment CEO until a successor has been appointed.
Thomas Babacan initiated a fast and sustained turnaround of the vacuum business in 2005 by investing in new products and efficient production plants, building up a new management team, re-orientating the sales structure and gaining access to new markets. Since then, the segment has been enjoying above-average sales growth and a constantly increasing profit margin. Thomas Babacan studied economics in Frankfurt a.M. and joined the Oerlikon Group in 1999. Since then he hold various management positions in the company, both on the headquarter and the operative level.
