Dr. Nikolas Stihl assumes the chairmanship of the STIHL Group's advisory and supervisory boards on July 1, 2012. The advisory board of STIHL HOLDING AG & Co. KG and the supervisory board of STIHL AG elected the new chairman at their meeting today. The present chairman of both boards, Hans Peter Stihl, will resign these posts on June 30. He will remain general partner of STIHL HOLDING and has been appointed honorary chairman of the advisory and supervisory boards in recognition of his outstanding achievements for the company. Eva Mayr-Stihl will remain deputy advisory board chairman. "With these decisions we are ensuring that STIHL continues to be an independent group with the character of a family-owned company in the spirit of its founder Andreas Stihl", emphasized Dr. Nikolas Stihl, grandson of the company's founder. The four branches of the family each hold a 25 percent share in STIHL Holding. Operative management will remain in the hands of the non-family executive board chaired by Dr. Bertram Kandziora.
Franz Fehrenbach joins STIHL supervisory and advisory boards
Franz Fehrenbach is a new member of the STIHL supervisory and advisory boards. He is chairman of the Bosch board of management – up to June 30, 2012, takes over the chair of the supervisory board of Robert Bosch GmbH as of July 1 and is managing partner of Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG and chairman of the shareholders' meeting. "We are delighted that we have been able to gain the services of Mr. Fehrenbach, who is one of the most experienced and respected business personalities in Germany," said Dr. Nikolas Stihl.
Prof. Dr. Dr. Walther Zügel is retiring from the STIHL supervisory and advisory boards on which he has served for the past 26 years. Dr. Nikolas Stihl said: "The STIHL advisory board and supervisory board as well as the shareholders thank Prof. Zügel most sincerely for his many successful years of work on the boards of our company."
Continuing the STIHL success story
Dr. Nikolas Stihl is optimistic about the future: "We are excellently positioned with our products. We are creating the preconditions for further profitable growth with substantial investments in R&D, production and distribution." Together with the other STIHL shareholders he wants to "ensure that the success story of STIHL continues." The family, he said, gives the company the stability it needs to realize its long-term goals. "I will adhere to proven strategies: long-term and organic worldwide growth, financed from within, customer orientation, premium quality, technology leadership, continuous optimization of processes as well as sales through authorized servicing dealers."