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- Dieter Weisskopf to step down as Group CEO towards the end of the year 2022 due to retirement
- The Board of Directors appoints Group Management member Adalbert Lechner as his successor
- Long-term continuity at the top management of the Group is guaranteed, the company said
KLICHBERG, Switzerland — Chocoladefabriken Lindt & Sprüngli AG announced that Dr. Dieter Weisskopf will step down from his current position as group CEO towards the end of the year due to retirement. The board of directors has appointed Dr. Adalbert Lechner, CEO of the German subsidiary and member of the Group Management, as the new group CEO. The board of directors will then propose the election of Dr. Dieter Weisskopf as a new member of the Board of Directors at the Annual General Meeting on April 28, 2022.
"Dieter Weisskopf has contributed significantly to the success of our group," said Ernst Tanner, executive chairman of the board of directors. "Under his leadership, the company recorded a successful and sustainable performance. Over the past six years, he and the management team have positioned the group very well for future global challenges, both strategically and organizationally, as well as in the important area of sustainability. The balance sheet and income statement have been further strengthened, and regions with faster growth have been expanded. All the prerequisites for a continuation of our success story have thus been met. I am extremely pleased that we can continue to count on Dieter Weisskopf's support as a member of the board of directors."
"Lindt & Sprüngli is in very good shape, so this is an ideal time to hand over the leadership to new hands," said Weisskopf. "I look back with pride and much pleasure on my many years of service to the group and look forward to leading the company until towards the end of the year, continuing to accompany Lindt & Sprüngli as a member of the board of directors and devoting myself to new entrepreneurial activities."
Adalbert Lechner becomes new Group CEO
The group's new CEO will be the long-time CEO of the German subsidiary as well as Group Management member Adalbert Lechner. He joined the Lindt & Sprüngli Group in 1993. First as CEO of the Austrian subsidiary, then in 1997 he was appointed CEO of the German subsidiary. Under his leadership, the German subsidiary has developed into the largest company of the group with extremely successful track record. He was a member of the Extended Group Management from 2011 until 2016. As of Jan. 1, 2017, Lechner is member of the Group Management and responsible, in addition to managing Lindt Germany, for the development of its northern and eastern Europe markets as well as the Global Retail/On-Line division.
"I am very much looking forward to my new role as CEO of the group and would like to thank the board of directors for their trust," said Lechner. "Dieter Weisskopf hands over the company to me in excellent shape and expectations for the future development are high. I am happy to accept this challenge, as I can rely on an outstanding management team."
"I am proud of what the management team, together with over 14,000 passionate and dedicated employees, has achieved over the past decades, and I am looking forward to a successful future," said Weisskopf. "Thanks to our strong culture we have built a solid foundation to further strengthen our position as the world's leading premium chocolate company. I am very pleased that our company can hand over the CEO responsibilities to Adalbert Lechner, who will together with the Group Management and my support continue our success story."