On 1 January 2026, Hosokawa Alpine AG will undergo a significant change in the company's management. The current executive board – CEO Dr Antonio Fernández and CFO/COO Jürgen Wilde – will step down from their positions. He will be succeeded by Michael Kuhnen as the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Kathrin Dörle as the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
Long-standing management bids farewell with many thanks
Dr Antonio Fernández and Jürgen Wilde have been instrumental in shaping Hosokawa Alpine for many years. Their time in office together stands for a phase of growth, stability, and innovation. With strategic vision, entrepreneurial responsibility, and human leadership, they have developed Hosokawa Alpine into an internationally recognised company.
"The Supervisory Board would like to thank Dr Antonio Fernández and Jürgen Wilde for their outstanding performance, their loyalty, and their tireless commitment to the company", the board stated in a press release. To ensure an orderly transition, both of them will be available to provide advice and support until the end of March 2026 in order to seamlessly hand over projects and pass on expertise to the new executive board team.
New management with a clear focus on the future
With Michael Kuhnen and Kathrin Dörle, a young yet experienced duo is taking over responsibility for the further development of Hosokawa Alpine AG. Both have close ties to the company: Michael Kuhnen has spent 19 years in various management positions at Hosokawa Alpine and is returning after one and a half years outside the Group. Kathrin Dörle has been part of the company for over 20 years – her appointment marks the first time a woman has joined the executive board.
Michael Kuhnen says: "As CEO, I want to lead our company into the future with a clear strategy, innovative strength, and customer focus. For me, trust, openness, and cooperation at eye level are the basis for being successful together and actively shaping the opportunities of change".
Kathrin Dörle says: "Hosokawa Alpine is more than just a workplace for me – it's a place that I feel deeply connected to, both personally and professionally. I stand for a modern understanding of finance and business that combines transparency, digitalisation, and partnership based cooperation. I want to live leadership in such a way that it creates trust – clear in the matter, open in dialogue, and binding in action".
In future, Michael Kuhnen will drive the strategic development of Hosokawa Alpine and will be responsible for the sales and operational areas as well as the international subsidiaries. Kathrin Dörle will initially take over the Finance and Corporate Centre divisions.
The change is part of a strategic decision within the Hosokawa Micron Group. President Kohei Hosokawa from Japan adds: "This change combines continuity and renewal in an ideal way. Dr Antonio Fernández and Jürgen Wilde have led Hosokawa Alpine for many years with a great sense of responsibility and vision. Special thanks go to Dr Antonio Fernández, whose personal commitment and dedication have been instrumental in shaping and being responsible for the success of Hosokawa Alpine AG for 28 years. With Michael Kuhnen and Kathrin Dörle, a team is taking over that shares our values and at the same time provides a driving force. They represent the future of Hosokawa Alpine. They stand for innovative strength, internationalisation, and sustainable growth".
Hosokawa Alpine
Hosokawa Alpine is a worldwide leader and innovative machine and plant manufacturer with its headquarters in Augsburg and a branch office in Leingarten. The company also maintains several subsidiaries in Germany and abroad. The core competencies of Hosokawa Alpine are, on the one hand in mechanical process engineering operations for the manufacture of machines and systems used in processing powders, granulates and bulk materials, and on the other hand in film extrusion operations for the manufacture and finishing of blown film. The company employs approximately 840 people and generated an annual sales volume of roughly 255 million euros in the 2023/2024 fiscal year. The company's export ratio is around 80 percent. Since 1987, the company has been a wholly owned subsidiary of the Japanese Hosokawa Micron Corporation. www.hosokawa-alpine.com
