Christoph Martin Appointed CFO of Salzgitter AG

Birgit Potrafki will not renew her contract as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Salzgitter AG, which expires on January 31, 2027, and will leave the company to pursue a new career opportunity. Christoph Martin will succeed her as CFO. The decision was made by the Supervisory Board of Salzgitter AG at its meeting on September 11, 2026.

"We are confident that Christoph Martin is the right choice to succeed Birgit Potrafki. "He draws on many years of experience in various leadership roles in the areas of controlling and finance and will continue the responsible financial strategy that Salzgitter AG has pursued in recent years," as Ulrike Brouzi, Chair of the Supervisory Board, stated in explaining the decision. Christoph Martin will assume the role of CFO of Salzgitter AG effective October 1, 2026. In the period up to the end of January 2027, Birgit Potrafki will ensure the smooth transition of her task scope to Christoph Martin.

The Supervisory Board of Salzgitter AG would like to thank Birgit Potrafki for her tremendous dedication and her successful work at the company, which is linked in particular to the consistent implementation of the P28 earnings improvement program and Salzgitter AG’s inclusion in the MDAX stock index. Birgit Potrafki joined Salzgitter AG as a member of the Management Board in February 2024.

"Birgit Potrafki supported our company during a crucial transformation phase with great dedication, outstanding professional expertise, and exceptional reliability. With her strategic foresight and her ability to execute operationally, she has played a key role in shaping the company's continued development. We would like to express our sincere thanks to her for her valuable contributions and wish her every success and all the best in her future professional and personal endeavors," as Ulrike Brouzi stated.

Gunnar Groebler, Chairman of the Management Board of Salzgitter AG added: "I would like to express my sincere thanks to Birgit Potrafki for our excellent and trust-based collaboration. During her tenure, she provided substantial impetus for sustainable improvements within the Group. "In particular, she has worked with great dedication to ensure a forward-looking financing structure, the successful management of our P28 performance program, and the further development of our IT and financial structures, thereby making significant contributions to our future direction. Christoph Martin will be consistently advancing P28, thereby continuing the successful work of Birgit Potrafki in a seamless manner."

Christoph Martin has been active as a member of the Management Board of Salzgitter Mannesmann Handel GmbH and Salzgitter Mannesmann International GmbH since January 2025. He launched his professional career as a trainee in production controlling for the metallurgy division at thyssenkrupp Steel Europe AG, where he subsequently held various controlling and finance positions. Christoph Martin studied economics at the University of Duisburg-Essen and earned a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from the JurGrad School of Tax and Business Law at the University of Münster.