Siegfried Winkelbeiner
Siegfried Winkelbeiner, textile chemist, has taken over as the new CEO of Schoeller Textil AG – the innovative, long standing fabric and technology company based at Sevelen, Switzerland. Mr. Winkelbeiner, who had been the acting COO over the last year, accepted the new role from Hans-Jürgen Hübner, who, after 48 years with Schoeller, stepped away from the position and into a new role himself.Hans-Jürgen Hübner, a textile engineer, began his career with the Swiss textile company in 1964. For 17 years he was responsible for the technical area, before taking over marketing and sales in 1982. From 1994 to March
2012, he served as chairman of the executive board.
At the General Meeting on 28 June, 2012, H.J. Hübner will be elected to the Board of Administration of the Schoeller Textil Group. In addition, he will also oversee innovation at Schoeller as well as the newly established company Schoeller Medical AG. His esprit, unconventional ideas and capacity for enthusiasm will continue to influence and enrich the culture of Schoeller and the company will still benefit from his enormous knowledge of textiles and his wide-ranging global network. “With the establishment of Schoeller Medical AG within the last year and the purchase of an external chemical laboratory, we are determined to be among the frontrunners in the health megatrend,” explains H.J. Hübner (CEO Schoeller Medical AG) displaying his characteristic energy and pioneering spirit.
Siegfried Winkelbeiner, incoming CEO at Schoeller Textil AG, brings many years of experience in the chemical industry from his previous roles at Ciba in Basel, Switzerland where he began with his apprenticeship as a laboratory technician (textile). Following graduation as a Certified Chemist HTL, his career took him to South Africa and Thailand for many years. Up to 2008, when he returned to Basel, he held various positions in the international organization of Ciba Specialty Chemicals Inc. and was a member of the Global Leadership Board. From 2008 onwards, he was stationed in Hungary where he supervised the expansion of Ciba in Central and Eastern Europe. Ciba was taken over by BASF in 2009. Before joining Schoeller in February 2011, he was responsible for integration and change management at BASF.
As a result of various joint projects, Mr. Winkelbeiner has been working closely with Schoeller and H.J. Hübner for many years. ”I am looking forward to the challenge of writing the continuing success story that is “Schoeller Textil”. Matters particularly close to my heart are worldwide customer relations and the success of the Schoeller team in continued delivery of customer benefits. Additionally, Switzerland as a business location is closely linked to the innovative nature of our products at all value-added levels and safeguards our sustainability. Our consistent orientation towards key markets will further increase our vigor and secure a profitable future,” commented Siegfried Winkelbeiner.