Café Europe — 25.01.2023

Winterthur - The Board of Directors of Rieter has appointed Thomas Oetterli as its new CEO. The former Schindler CEO will replace Norbert Klapper at the helm of the producer of textile machinery based in Winterthur. Rieter reported sales of over 1.5 billion Swiss francs for 2022.

Norbert Klapper is leaving Rieter. After nine years as CEO, he informed the Board of Directors he wishes to take on new professional challenges, as the worldwide producer of textile machinery based in Winterthur revealed in a press release. The Board of Directors of Rieter has appointed Thomas Oetterli as his successor. The former CEO of lift manufacturer Schindler will assume his new role on 13 March 2023.

Oetterli will also be proposed for election as a member of Rieter’s Board of Directors at the upcoming Annual General Meeting. According to the press release, the new CEO will strengthen the Board’s overall profile “with his proven strategic competencies, extensive industrial experience and international network of contacts”. Oetterli is currently also Chairman of the Board of Directors of SFS, the worldwide supplier of precision components and assemblies.

In the 2022 financial year, Rieter generated sales of 1.51 billion francs, as the company reported in a separate press release. When compared with the previous year, this equates to growth of 56 percent. The Group puts this down to exceeding its own expectations for sales on account of an exceptionally high order backlog. For the current year, Rieter has an order backlog of around 1.54 billion francs. hs

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