Martin Hirzel has many years of experience in the automotive supply industry. From 2011 to 2019, he was CEO of the listed Autoneum Holding AG, the largest Swiss automotive supplier with more than 13,000 employees and sales of over CHF 2 billion. Prior to that, he was a member of the Management Board of Rieter Automotive Systems with responsibility for the South America, Middle East, and Africa region. From 2000 to 2007, he built up the Chinese business of Rieter Holding AG from Shanghai. Martin Hirzel joined the Rieter Group in 1997 as Chief Controller International. The 50-year-old Swiss national holds a degree in business administration (Betriebsökonom HVW) from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences and is a GMP graduate of Harvard Business School. Since 2018, Martin Hirzel is a director of the listed Bucher Industries AG and a member of the Economic Advisory Board of the Swiss National Bank. In addition, he will assume the chairmanship of Swiss-mem, the leading association of the Swiss mechanical, electrical, and metalworking industries, effec-tive early 2021.

“In Martin Hirzel, we have been able to attract a strong personality to the Datwyler Board of Directors. He has sound management experience, knows the Asian and South American markets from his own several years of experience, and is very familiar with the strategic challenges facing global indus-tries,” says Paul Hälg, Chairman of the Datwyler Board of Directors.