GEA Supervisory Board appoints Bernd Brinker as interim CFO

The Supervisory Board of GEA Group Aktiengesellschaft has appointed Bernd Brinker (58) as interim Chief Financial Officer (CFO) with effect from October 16, 2023. For a period of one year, he will succeed Marcus A. Ketter, who passed away suddenly on August 6, 2023.

Professor Dieter Kempf, Chairman of the GEA Supervisory Board, said: “In Bernd Brinker, we welcome a seasoned, well-rounded financial expert with a strong background in the capital market. We are certain that, with his established track record, he will be a valuable addition to the Executive Board.”

A business graduate hailing from the Emsland region of northern Germany, Bernd Brinker boasts over three decades of financial and capital market experience with global industrial groups. He commenced his career in 1991, working in the finance department of the former VIAG AG. Between 1996 and 2014, he held various management positions, notably in the areas of Treasury, Investor Relations, Portfolio Management and M&A, at SKW Trostberg AG, Degussa AG and Evonik Industries AG. At each of these companies, he played a significant role in shaping their development. In 2014, he assumed his first group CFO position at the then family-owned DORMA Holding GmbH & Co. KGaA, which in the following year merged with Swiss-based Kaba Holding AG to form the publicly traded dormakaba Holding AG. During his tenure as Group CFO at dormakaba, Bernd Brinker oversaw functions including Controlling, Accounting, Treasury, Tax, M&A, Investor Relations, IT and Internal Audit.

GEA CEO Stefan Klebert added: “I am delighted that the Supervisory Board has been able to secure the services of Bernd Brinker at such short notice. Thanks in part to the successful efforts of Marcus A. Ketter, we at GEA have been able to restore the confidence of the capital markets in recent years. With Bernd Brinker’s expertise and capital market experience, we are well equipped as a team to continue along this trajectory.”