Hilti gets ready for CEO change

Christoph Loos becomes CEO of Hilti on 1 January, succeeding Bo Risberg who leaves the company after seven years as CEO and 14 years with the company.

Mr Risberg, who joined Hilti in 1999, is leaving because Hilti requires executive board members to cease executive board positions when they reach 56. He cannot join the board of directors because it already has a full complement of two former CEOs.

The new chief executive, Mr Loos, who will be only the fifth CEO in Hilti’s 75 year history, joined the company in 2001 as head of group strategy, becoming head of sales in Germany in 2003 and then company general manager in 2005. He has been a member of the executive board since 2007, responsible for finance, human resources and IT.

Board chairman Pius Baschera said Mr Risberg had “shaped and developed the Hilti Group for the last seven years. Despite extensive challenges he always understood how to keep the company on track and knew how to steer it back onto a successful path.

“Hilti is a healthy company, it is financially stable and future-oriented. Christoph Loos now faces significant and great work. I am convinced that with his management experience and competence he will continue the successful work of Bo Risberg.”

From January 1, Hilti’s executive board will be: Dr Christoph Loos (CEO), Jahangir (Jan) Doongaji (Electric Tools and Group Research), Matthias Gillner (Emerging Markets and Energy & Industry), Jörg Kampmeyer (CFO and Human Resources), Marco Meyrat (Europe and North America markets), Dr Stefan Nöken (Fastening Technology and Logistics).

Hilti, located in Liechtenstein, employs 21000 people in more than 120 countries and reported 2012 revenues of CHF 4.2 billion (€3.4 billion).