Datwyler settles CEO succession

After serving seven years as CEO and 18 years in Datwyler’s Executive Management, Datwyler CEO Dirk Lambrecht (62) has decided to retire and relinquish his operational roles at the end of March 2024. The Datwyler Board of Directors has appointed Volker Cwielong (46) as new CEO as of 1 April 2024.

Volker Cwielong has been a part of the management team of the global Eberspächer Group since 2017. As CoCEO of the Purem by Eberspächer division, he is responsible for net revenue of around EUR 2 billion as well as for more than 7’000 employees at over 40 sites on three continents. He leads the Sales, Production and Technology and Innovation units and bears full responsibility for the division’s results. Its many years of expertise have helped Purem by Eberspächer drive the transformation toward the mobility of tomorrow and also offer solutions for fuel cell applications and hydrogen motors. Prior to joining Eberspächer, Volker Cwielong had held a variety of global leadership roles at the international companies Hoerbiger, SaarGummi and Brose Fahrzeugteile. Volker Cwielong is an industrial engineer and holds both a Master of Science degree and an MBA.

“Following the recent investments in our production capacities and acquisitions in the healthcare and connectors business, Datwyler’s strategic positioning is stronger than ever before. I’m certain that as CEO, Volker Cwielong has the right strategic skills and industrial experience to help Datwyler seize the profitable growth opportunities that exist in our markets. In his previous positions, his entrepreneurial leadership skills have always helped him succeed in bringing the business units entrusted to him in line with market trends, gearing them toward their customers’ needs as well as increasing both revenue and profits – even at difficult times. Volker Cwielong has broad business experience that also includes the successful market launch of new product lines, acquisitions and reorganizations,” says Datwyler Chairman Paul Hälg.

“On behalf of both the Board of Directors and the employees, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dirk Lambrecht for his hard work and loyalty. Over the course of the past seven years, he has left an indelible mark on Datwyler as CEO and helped the company focus on meeting a wide range of future demands. Today, Datwyler is a high-tech company that seizes digital opportunities, actively advances sustainability and offers its employees a corporate culture that is both agile and modern,” says Paul Hälg.

Dirk Lambrecht joined Datwyler’s Executive Management in spring 2005 as Head of the Sealing Technologies division. In 2012, he took over as Head of the newly established Sealing Solutions division, which was created by merging the former Mobility and Healthcare businesses. He was then appointed CEO in 2017. Following the divestment of the online distribution business, Dirk Lambrecht redefined the organizational structure in 2020, transforming a Group with two entirely different business units into a single focused company based on strong synergies. In the 18 years since he joined the company, he has succeeded in expanding the business organically with system-critical elastomer seals and through acquisitions to create the company that Datwyler is today. Key milestones include the global expansion with Datwyler’s own plants in the three most important economic regions  of the US, Europe and Asia, the introduction of the FirstLine production standard for healthcare components and the organic development of the Food & Beverage business unit. To ensure that Datwyler can still hold on to Dirk Lambrecht’s longstanding experience in the company and his wealth of market expertise going forward, the Board of Directors will propose to the upcoming General Meeting on 14 March 2024 that he be elected as a member of the Board of Directors.