Family entrepreneur Bertram Kawlath from Ingolstadt was elected as the new President of the VDMA for the next four years by the VDMA General Assembly in Wiesbaden. He takes over from Karl Haeusgen (HAWE Hydraulik SE), who has served as President since 2020. Kawlath is Managing Partner of Schubert & Salzer GmbH, a medium-sized group of companies from Ingolstadt that specialises in industrial control valves and software systems for SMEs.
‘I am looking forward to this important task in difficult times, representing the mechanical and plant engineering industry with its more than 3,600 VDMA members over the next four years,’ says Kawlath on his election. ‘Our industry is paving the way with its technologies and solutions, for example in the broad fight against climate change, the generation of renewable energies or the automation and digitalisation of production processes. We are also an industry that is strong in research,’ he emphasises.
‘But in order to remain internationally competitive, politicians must now change course very quickly and relieve the burden on medium-sized industrial companies in particular. The flood of regulations from Berlin and Brussels is especially stifling smaller companies, our tax rate for companies is significantly higher than the OECD average and there is a lack of new free trade agreements that open up markets for us. All of this can and must be tackled now, there is no more time to lose,’ demands Kawlath. The new President also wants to encourage more women to take up technical professions and promote the ongoing Europeanisation of the association.
Two new Vice Presidents also elected
Bertram Kawlath, born in 1970, is married and has two children. After studying history in Erlangen and London and gaining an MBA in Geneva, he became Managing Director and member of the Supervisory Board of Eisenwerk Erla GmbH, Saxony, which belonged to Schubert & Salzer, in 2004. From 2010 to 2023, Bertram Kawlath was Managing Partner of Schubert & Salzer Feinguss Lobenstein GmbH, Thuringia.
Bertram Kawlath has been involved in the German Engineering Federation for many years: He is a member of the Narrower Executive Board and the Main Executive Board, and has also been Chairman of the Executive Board of VDMA Bavaria since 2021 until the end of 2024. He was elected Vice President of the VDMA in 2020.
Alexander Jakschik (born 1982) was elected to the office of Vice President. He studied industrial engineering in Dresden. Since 2015, he has been a member of the Executive Board of his family business ULT AG, based in Löbau (Saxony). He has been a member of the Executive Board of the VDMA Regional Association East since 2018 and its Chairman since 2022. He has also been a member of the Executive Board of the VDMA Additive Manufacturing Association since 2018.
Verena Thies (born 1985), Managing Partner of Thies GmbH & Co. KG in Coesfeld (Westphalia). Verena Thies studied business administration in Hamburg. She has been a board member of the VDMA Textile Machinery Association since 2011 and its deputy chairwoman since 2017. Verena Thies is also a member of the VDMA delegation to the European umbrella organisation CEMATEX.
