Zumtobel Extends CEO Contract Until 2020 And Strengthens Board

Supervisory Board banks on continuity and strengthens the Management Board

  • Early extension of contract for CEO Schumacher and CFO Sonnenmoser to 2020
  • Former Tridonic CEO Alfred Felder appointed to the Management Board as COO
  • Guido van Tartwijk succeeds Felder at Tridonic effective 01 November 2016

The Supervisory Board of Zumtobel Group AG has extended the contracts of the Management Board prematurely to 2020 and appointed Alfred Felder the third member of the international lighting group’s Management Board. This means that the contract of CEO Ulrich Schumacher, which was due to expire on 30 April 2017, has been extended by a further three years to 30 April 2020. Similarly, the Supervisory Board has extended the contract of Chief Financial Officer Karin Sonnenmoser until 30 April 2020. The Supervisory Board also appointed a third board member: Alfred Felder, to date CEO of the Group’s components subsidiary Tridonic. Effective 01 April 2016, Felder assumes the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO) with a term of office until 30 April 2019. In his new role as Zumtobel Group COO, Felder’s responsibilities will include the Group’s global operations and supply chain as well as quality and IT.

Through these steps the Supervisory Board has emphasised the importance of continuity in the strategic redirection of the Zumtobel Group. “In view of the massive changes driven by the technology shift, the company is going through a very important phase. We expressly welcome
the Management Board’s strategy of systematically leveraging the knowledge base and synergies that exist within the company and of future-proofing the business model by taking it forward through new and innovative services built around smart and connected lighting. Given the vital importance of this redirection, we are delighted that with Alfred Felder we have strengthened the Management Board by adding a proven technology expert and experienced manager, who has done outstanding work at Tridonic over the past three years,” said Jürg Zumtobel, Chairman of the Supervisory Board.

“On behalf of myself and my colleagues on the Management Board, I would like to thank the Supervisory Board for this expression of confidence in us. Over the past two years we have charted a new course for the company in many different respects and laid the foundations for profitable growth. The main pillars here are our multi-brand strategy in the sales sector, the global competitiveness of our production and supply chain, and the utilisation of platform strategies in purchasing and development. Now we must aim to systematically leverage the
potential for further improvements in cost-effectiveness and fundamentally new innovations. In this respect I am particularly looking forward to working even closer with Alfred Felder,” said Zumtobel Group CEO Ulrich Schumacher.

11 Mar