Dr. Franz Richter becomes the new Chairman of the Board

Dr. Franz Richter

The Supervisory Board of Dr. Hönle AG appoints Mr. Dr. Franz Richter, currently Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the UV technology company, as interim successor to the CEO Norbert Haimerl.

Following the change at the top of the Supervisory Board, the committee appoints Dr. Franz Richter as interim successor to the long-standing CEO Norbert Haimerl, who resigned from his position by mutual agreement effective April 30, 2023.

Norbert Haimerl has been a member of the Executive Board of Dr. Hönle AG since 2000, serving as Chairman since last year. He has contributed significantly to the successful development of the company for more than two decades.

The search for a new CEO has already been initiated. Until the appointment is made, Dr. Franz Richter will assume this role, but for no longer than one year. During this period, his position as Chairman of the Supervisory Board will be temporarily held by Niklas Friedrichsen, who has been a member of the Supervisory Board of Dr. Hönle AG since 2022.

The physicist Dr. Franz Richter possesses extensive expertise in technical developments, including UV lithography, UV cleaning, and silicone adhesives. With many years of experience in the fields of semiconductors and optoelectronics, including at Carl Zeiss AG and Süss MicroTec SE – where he last served as CEO – Dr. Richter has the right qualifications to continue expanding Dr. Hönle AG as an innovative and reliable partner for industrial UV solutions.

The interim CEO, Dr. Franz Richter, looks forward to his new operational role at Dr. Hönle AG: "Hönle has almost 50 years of experience in UV technology, has been a trendsetter and technology driver in many areas, and has opened up many new application fields for UV curing. We will now, together with all employees, set the course for a strategy of accelerated profitable growth."