Heribert Rohrbeck has been with Bürkert Fluid Control Systems for almost three decades – 18 years of them as CEO. He left at the end of 2022 and retired. His successor Georg Stawowy is already waiting in the wings and will be taking over leadership of Bürkert from April 2023 as CEO.
The employees of fluidics specialist Bürkert Fluid Control Systems bid farewell to their long-term CEO Heribert Rohrbeck during a works council meeting at the beginning of December. His successor Georg Stawowy was also introduced to the staff at this time. “Each person is the most important in their place” – these words sum up what Heribert Rohrbeck wants to leave his Bürkert team with. It is an aspect that is close to his heart: the mutual appreciation and respect for the contribution of each and every individual. Besides taking on responsibility, holistic thinking and working as part of the special Bürkert culture play a significant role here – and, according to Rohrbeck, are essential to preserve: “It would be ideal to achieve the size of a global group while also maintaining the culture of a family-owned enterprise.”
Transformation to a global approach
The holistic character of this objective is also reflected in Heribert Rohrbeck’s career path. The Freiburg native looks back on almost three decades at the international family company from Hohenlohe: after starting in 1993, Rohrbeck was initially responsible for research and development at Bürkert. In 2004, after various other positions, he stepped up as Gerhard Hettinger’s successor to become CEO of the Bürkert group. During his time at Bürkert, he made his mark on the company and its culture, and fundamentally changed underlying structures: “When I started at Bürkert, responsibilities were still very divided and characterised by ‘departmental thinking’. As the focus at the time was mainly on local optimisation, the approach wasn’t as global and holistic as it is today,” explains the 61-year-old. Over time, process-oriented working, interdisciplinary teams and flat hierarchies have become part of the standard working day at Bürkert.
Heribert Rohrbeck hopes for his successor that “Mr Georg Stawowy will succeed in drawing on his experience and new ideas within the context of the company culture, so that he can get the excellent and amazing Bürkert team, who give their best every day with plenty of passion and zeal, fully on board from the start.”
The new CEO has been confirmed
Successor Georg Stawowy (53) will take up his position as CEO at Bürkert in April 2023. Until then, continuity has been ensured and the stable management of the company will be maintained thanks to the recent expansion of the Bürkert Group management with long-term team members.
“Bürkert has a highly value-oriented culture and is well-known far beyond the region as an attractive employer. I look forward to being able to work in this environment,” says Stawowy on his decision for Bürkert. He goes on to state that “I entered the company after some very successful years. This is a special responsibility and challenge, but above all, it will give the organisation the confidence to handle the upcoming tasks.”
From 2013, Georg Stawowy was Member of the Board for Innovation and Technology at Lapp Holding AG in Stuttgart. At Lapp, he was responsible for the areas of innovation, product management and development, the supply chain – including production and purchasing – as well as IT and digitalisation activities. The topic of digital company transformation is a particular focal point for Stawowy: “We must understand the chances and implications of digitalisation in all corners of the organisation, and tackle them with courage. That means primarily not only “taking employees on board”, but also taking on the responsibility together. The future viability of Bürkert lies in our own hands.”
