The Supervisory Board of voestalpine AG has appointed Carola Richter as Head of the Metal Forming Division with effect from April 1, 2024. This makes her the first woman to join the Group’s six-member Management Board, succeeding Peter Schwab.
Carola Richter is the first woman to join the voestalpine Management Board. Her term of office is three years. Richter is an internationally successful manager – the last 20 years for the chemical company BASF. On April 1, 2024, she will replace Peter Schwab, who will not be extending his mandate after ten years on the Management Board for personal reasons.
The Metal Forming Division of voestalpine AG is the competence center for highly developed steel products and ready-to-install system components and thus a supplier for the automotive industry with lightweight components, substructures for PV/solar systems and solutions for the bearing technology industry. The division has around 12,000 employees at its production sites in Europe, North and South America, China and South Africa.
Carola Richter says: “I am very much looking forward to preparing the Metal Forming Division for the technological challenges of the future together with its management team and employees. The consistent focus on the customer segments that are crucial for us and the further decarbonization of our value chain will be two of my main priorities. I would like to thank you for the trust you have placed in me and I look forward to my start in April with great anticipation.”
More than 20 years in the industrial business
Carola Richter has been in the industrial business for more than 20 years with a focus on Asia. She studied at the University of Heidelberg and the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and completed her studies with a doctorate in the field of high-energy physics. She is married and will now move from Singapore to Linz.
Most recently, she worked for BASF for 20 years in management positions, including more than ten years outside Europe. As part of her role, she was responsible for the profitability assessment of investments and the strategic optimization of value chains. Since 2019, she has been Regional President for the Asia/Pacific growth region based in Hong Kong, most recently in Singapore. In addition to operational responsibility for the local companies and production sites in the region, her work also focused on sustainability transformation, talent management and strategic customer relationships in the Asia region.
“Carola Richter knows the diverse challenges of the industry from decades of experience – and that goes beyond Europe. In her previous role, she has played a key role in shaping a leading global company over the years. The Supervisory Board is convinced that Carola Richter’s expertise and experience will also provide new impetus at the head of the Metal Forming Division.
I am delighted to welcome her to the Management Board of voestalpine AG and wish her and the entire Metal Forming team all the best and every success,” said Wolfgang Eder, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of voestalpine AG.
