The Executive Board of Salzgitter AG

The Executive Board represents, heads up the company and manages the company’s business under its own responsibility in accordance with the German Stock Corporation Act (AktG). It determines the strategic direction and the future development of the company together with the Supervisory Board. In carrying out these activities, the Executive Board is bound by the interests of the company. It strives to achieve the highest possible return on capital employed within the scope of the corporate purpose. The Supervisory Board has determined that certain business transactions may only be carried out with Supervisory Board approval.

The Executive Board currently comprises four members consisting of the Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Financial Officer, the Chief Personnel Officer and and one other member of the Executive Board. The Supervisory Board has assigned each Executive Board member a portfolio of responsibilities for specific organization units and has specified the decisions for which all Executive Board members are jointly responsible. The management of formerly five, but since April 1, 2022, four business units is the joint responsibility of all the members. A Group Management Board is at hand to assist them. Members of this board are the four Executive Board members and generally one manager from each of the four business units who coordinates the activities of his respective business unit (business unit manager).

The members of the Executive Board are liable to the company for any dereliction of duty. The company's D&O insurance provides for an appropriate deductible that accords with statutory requirements.

The following members are members of the Executive Board of SZAG and hold memberships in a) supervisory boards required by law and b) comparable domestic and foreign supervisory bodies of commercial enterprises.

Remuneration Report 2023 for the Executive Board and Supervisory Board

(only available in German)
PDF, 854 KB

Remuneration system of Salzgitter AG’s Board of Directors

PDF, 542 KB

Rules of Procedure for the Board of Directors

PDF, 137 KB

Resolution of the Shareholders‘ Meeting of 2020/07/08 to the Remune­ration system of Salzgitter AG’s Board of Directors

PDF, 60 KB

Executive Board members

Gunnar Groebler

Chief Executive Officer

Profile

Gunnar Groebler, born 1972, studied mechanical engineering at RWTH Aachen University. He embarked on his career in 1999 in the Corporate Development department of Berlin-based VEAG Vereinigte Energiewerke AG. Over the years from 2001 to 2002, Groebler was part of the Corporate Development project group for the formation of Vattenfall Europe AG, where he subsequently worked in the Corporate Development department. In 2003 Gunnar Groebler moved to the Group Strategies department of Vattenfall AB in Sweden.

In 2005 he returned to Germany as head of Procurement at Vattenfall Europe AG. Between 2007 and 2011, Groebler was initially responsible for corporate development, later for the Mergers & Acquisitions and finally for Vattenfall Europe AG’s Corporate Development/M&A Department before being appointed head of the Business Unit Hydro Germany. In 2014 he became Chairman of the Management Board of Vattenfall Europe Windkraft GmbH and Head of the Business Unit Renewables Europe / United Kingdom. From 2015 onward, Gunnar Groebler was responsible for the Business Area Wind as member of the Executive Group Management of the Vattenfall Group.

Gunnar Groebler has been a member of Salzgitter AG’S Executive Board since May 2021 and Chairman of the Executive Board since July 2021.

Mandates

Unlisted consolidated companies

a)    Membership of other statutory supervisory boards:

  • Ilsenburger Grobblech GmbH, Ilsenburg (Chairman)
  • KHS GmbH, Dortmund
  • Mannesmann Precision Tubes GmbH, Mülheim an der Ruhr
  • Peiner Träger GmbH, Peine (Chairman)
  • Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH, Salzgitter (Chairman)
  • Salzgitter Mannesmann Grobblech GmbH, Mülheim an der Ruhr (Chairman)
  • Salzgitter Mannesmann Handel GmbH, Düsseldorf (Chairman)

b)    Membership in comparable domestic and foreign supervisory bodies of commercial enterprises:

  • Ilsenburger  Grobblech GmbH,  Ilsenburg, and Salzgitter Mannesmann Grobblech GmbH, Mülheim an der Ruhr (joint advisory board, chairman)

Unlisted and unconsolidated companies

a)    Membership of other statutory supervisory boards:
./.

b)    Membership in comparable domestic and foreign supervisory bodies of commercial enterprises:

  • Semco Maritime A/S, Esbjerg, Denmark

Listed non-consolidated companies

a)    Membership of other statutory supervisory boards:

  • Aurubis AG, Hamburg

b)    Membership in comparable domestic and foreign supervisory bodies of commercial enterprises:
./.

Burkhard Becker

Finance

Profile

Burkhard Becker, born in 1960, nationality german, studied Economics at University of Bonn. He began his career in 1983 as an assistant auditor with the auditing firm Arthur Young in Düsseldorf.

In 1985, Becker joined the Controlling Department of Friedr. Krupp GmbH in Essen, later renamed as Friedr. Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp. From 1993 onwards, he headed up Controlling at KruppHoesch Verarbeitung GmbH in Dortmund before becoming a member of the Management Board of Krupp Kunststofftechnik GmbH in 1997. Between 1998 and 2007, Becker served as member of the Management Board of ThyssenKrupp VDM GmbH in Werdohl.

In 2008, Becker was appointed Chief Financial Officer for Klöckner-Werke AG, today Salzgitter Klöckner-Werke GmbH, as well as its main subsidiary KHS AG, now KHS GmbH. In this function he was responsible for Controlling, Accounting, IT and Human Resources.

Burkhard Becker has been Member of the Executive Board of Salzgitter AG for Finance since February 1, 2011.

Mandates

Unlisted consolidated companies

a)    Membership of other statutory supervisory boards:

  • Hüttenwerke Krupp Mannesmann GmbH, Duisburg
    (2nd Deputy Chairman)
  • EUROPIPE GmbH, Mülheim an der Ruhr
  • KHS GmbH, Dortmund (Chairman)
  • Peiner Träger GmbH, Peine
  • Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH, Salzgitter
  • Salzgitter Mannesmann Handel GmbH, Düsseldorf
  • Mannesmann Precision Tubes GmbH, Mülheim an der Ruhr(Chairman)
  • Borusan Mannesmann Boru Yatirim Holding A.S., Istanbul (Deputy Chairman), until 27 November 2023

b)    Membership in comparable domestic and foreign supervisory bodies of commercial enterprises:

  • Supervisory Board of Hansaport Hafenbetriebsgesellschaft mbH, Hamburg
  • Ilsenburger  Grobblech GmbH,  Ilsenburg, and Salzgitter Mannesmann Grobblech GmbH, Mülheim an der Ruhr (joint advisory board)

Unlisted and unconsolidated companies

a)    Membership of other statutory supervisory boards:

  • Bantleon Invest AG, Hanover (formerly Warburg Invest AG)

b)    Membership in comparable domestic and foreign supervisory bodies of commercial enterprises:
./.

Listed non-consolidated companies

a)    Membership of other statutory supervisory boards:

  • Borusan Mannesmann Boru Sanayi ve Ticaret A.S., Istanbul (Vice-Chairman), until 27 November 2023

b)    Membership in comparable domestic and foreign supervisory bodies of commercial enterprises:
./.

Michael Kieckbusch

Personnel

Profile

Michael Kieckbusch, born in 1961, nationality german, studied economics in Hanover after completing his military service. He began his career as a Group trainee at Salzgitter AG in 1989.

From 1991 to 1994, Kieckbusch was in charge of personnel planning at Preussag Stahl AG, the nucleus of today's Salzgitter AG. After a year as head of the Personnel Controlling / Basic Strategy unit within the Central Personnel Department of the Haftpflichtverband der Deutschen Industrie VVaG (liability insurance for German industry), he was appointed Director of Human Resources of Preussag Stahl AG and as a representative of the German steel industry on the Social Committee of the European steel industry in 1995.

In 1998, Kieckbusch became Managing Director of PPS Personal-, Produktions- und Servicegesellschaft mbH, later SZST Salzgitter Service und Technik GmbH, a company that comprised key service functions for the Salzgitter Group. He was appointed a member of the Management Board and Industrial Relations Director of Salzgitter Stahl GmbH and to the equivalent positions at Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH, Peiner Träger GmbH and Ilsenburger Grobblech GmbH in 2001. Kieckbusch is a lecturer at the Technical University of Braunschweig and a member of the Board of Trustees of the Hans Böckler Foundation. In addition, he has been Chairman / Vice Chairman of the European Commission's Sectoral Social Dialogue Committee on Steel since 2006.

Michael Kieckbusch has been a member of Salzgitter AG's Executive Board since 2013 and is responsible for Personnel.

Mandates

Unlisted consolidated companies

a)    Membership of other statutory supervisory boards:

  • KHS GmbH, Dortmund
  • Mannesmann Precision Tubes GmbH, Mülheim an der Ruhr
  • Peiner Träger GmbH, Peine
  • Salzgitter Flachstahl GmbH, Salzgitter
  • Salzgitter Mannesmann Handel GmbH, Düsseldorf
  • Verkehrsbetriebe Peine-Salzgitter-GmbH, Salzgitter

b)    Membership in comparable domestic and foreign supervisory bodies of commercial enterprises:

  • Supervisory Board of Hansaport Hafenbetriebsgesellschaft mbH, Hamburg (Chairman)
  • Ilsenburger  Grobblech GmbH,  Ilsenburg, and Salzgitter Mannesmann Grobblech GmbH, Mülheim an der Ruhr (joint advisory board)

Unlisted and unconsolidated companies

a)    Membership of other statutory supervisory boards:
./.

b)    Membership in comparable domestic and foreign supervisory bodies of commercial enterprises:

  • Supervisory Board of Allianz für die Region GmbH, Braunschweig
  • Supervisory Board of the project company Salzgitter-Watenstedt GmbH, Salzgitter (Deputy Chairman)
  • Supervisory Board of Wohnungsbaugesellschaft mbH Salzgitter, Salzgitter (Deputy Chairman)

Listed non-consolidated companies

a)    Membership of other statutory supervisory boards:
./.

b)    Membership in comparable domestic and foreign supervisory bodies of commercial enterprises:
./.

Birgit Potrafki

Member of the Executive Board

Profile

Birgit Potrafki, born 1971, studied economics at Leibniz University Hanover. She began her career in 1999 as a trainee at Robert Bosch GmbH. Between 2000 and 2005, she held various positions within the Bosch Group, including heading up the Cost Controlling, Accounting & Finance departments for its international branches in Belgium and China.

In 2006, she took over responsibility for customer and logistics planning at the Group’s Hildesheim plant, before moving to Bosch Rexroth AG where she served as the commercial manager for the Homburg plant until 2012. From 2011 onwards she also held the position – initially as a dual role – of commercial manager for the Mobile Controls and Compact Hydraulics product groups at Bosch Rexroth. In 2013, she moved to the CFO team at Robert Bosch GmbH, where she was responsible for Controlling & Planning and M&A.

From 2016 to 2019, Birgit Potrafki served as Head of the Wiper Systems business unit. While in this role, she was also appointed CFO to the board of the Bosch Electrical Drives division in 2018; and in 2021 she moved to perform the same role on the board of Bosch's new Cross-Domain Computing Solutions division.

Birgit Potrafki has been a member of Salzgitter AG's Executive Board since February 2024 and will take over responsibility for Finance in April 2024.