The Ulm Local Court appointed Dr. Helmut Gassel and Stefan Kappis as members of the Supervisory Board of centrotherm international AG effective January 15, 2026, following a proposal from the Management Board and new main shareholder Ardian Semiconductor. At its first meeting on January 23, 2026, the Supervisory Board elected Dr. Helmut Gassel as Chairman and Stefan Kappis as Deputy Chairman, while Robert M. Hartung continues his service on the board. This leadership change resulted from the new shareholder structure, with previous Supervisory Board members Hans-Hasso Kersten and Dr. Xinan Jia resigning their seats effective December 17, 2025.
Dr. Helmut Gassel emphasized the board's commitment to supporting the Management Board in driving forward the strategic development of centrotherm international AG and unlocking the company's full potential using Ardian Semiconductor's resources and network. He specifically noted his anticipation of working with Robert M. Hartung, who has provided strategic guidance and operational support for many years and helped establish centrotherm as a reliable and innovative supplier to leading power semiconductor manufacturers over the past decade. The company's corporate information is available at https://www.centrotherm.de.
Dr. Helmut Gassel brings extensive semiconductor industry experience as a partner and co-founder of Silian Partners, a team of recognized experts with whom Ardian Semiconductor maintains an exclusive strategic partnership. With over 30 years of international top management experience in the semiconductor and electronics industry, his most recent position was as a member of the Executive Board of Infineon Technologies AG, where he was responsible for sales, marketing & regions, strategy development, mergers and acquisitions, and intellectual property.
Stefan Kappis serves as a director in the buyout team at Ardian Germany and has been involved in numerous transactions. Before joining Ardian in 2014, he worked in investment banking at Barclays in Frankfurt am Main, focusing on corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions. The original release containing this information can be viewed at https://www.newmediawire.com.
This board restructuring represents a significant development for centrotherm international AG, a company specializing in thermal production solutions and coating technologies for over 70 years. The company serves a growing international customer base across multiple sectors including semiconductors, microelectronics, photovoltaics, and emerging fields like fiber and battery production. As a globally active technology group working closely with industry and research partners, centrotherm improves existing production concepts and sets new trends to generate competitive advantages for customers through its GREEN | SMART | EFFICIENT approach.
