Heinz Hermann Thiele, principal shareholder of Knorr-Bremse, has announced his retirement as Chairman of the company’s Supervisory Board.
After a total of 46 years working for Knorr-Bremse, 28 of them on the Executive Board and nine as Chairman of the Supervisory Board, the 74-year-old said he wanted to dedicate more time to his private life.
“After over 30 years at the helm of the Knorr-Bremse Group, and in view of the fact that I will turn 75 in a few months’ time, I want to dedicate more time to my private life and personal business interests in the future,” said Thiele, who grew Knorr-Bremse from a €254 million business in 1985 to a €5.2 billion corporation in 2014.
“Needless to say, as a shareholder of the Knorr-Bremse Group I will retain my close links to the company and will continue to be involved in all important, and above all strategic, decisions.”
Thiele’s designated successor is Dr Bernd Bohr (59), who served as Chairman of Robert Bosch’s Automotive Group until 2013.
“In Dr Bohr we have succeeded in recruiting an exceptionally competent and experienced leading figure for Knorr-Bremse. With his education and rofessional background, Dr Bohr can draw upon comprehensive technical expertise, above all in the fields of development and production.”