Roland Schwandt became CEO of propulsion specialist Schottel GmbH, Spay, Germany, on Jan. 1, succeeding Stefan Kaul as part of a succession plan, the company announced. Christian Bock was appointed deputy CEO.
Kaul will shift his focus to production and materials management for the company’s German production facilities in Dörth and Wismar and will continue to support the new management team.
The succession plan was initiated early by Kaul and coordinated with all parties involved, Schottel said in a press release.
Schwandt joined Schottel in 2000 as a project manager and subsequently took on increasing responsibilities. His roles included managing the tug and offshore energy segment, serving as vice president of sales with global sales responsibility, and becoming deputy CEO and overall head of customer business in January 2024.
Bock began his career in 2006 at SSPC in Suzhou, a former Schottel production site in China. After 11 years in leadership roles in finance, he moved to the company’s headquarters in Spay, where he served as director of controlling and IT and later as vice president of finance and administration.
Kaul joined Schottel in 1989 and held management positions in research and hydrodynamics before becoming chief technology officer in 2007. He was appointed CEO in 2018.
“Since his appointment as CEO in 2018, Stefan Kaul has successfully guided the company to its current strong market position together with the management team,” said Andreas Block, CEO of Schottel Industries GmbH. “We sincerely thank him for his outstanding commitment and are pleased that he will continue to be available to Schottel GmbH in a key position.”
Founded in 1921, Schottel produces azimuth propulsion and complete propulsion systems with power ratings of up to 30 MW for vessels and offshore applications. The company has approximately 100 sales and service locations worldwide.
