Dr. Rolf Breidenbach will end his position as Chairman of the HELLA Management Board by mutual agreement at mid-year

Lippstadt, 4 February 2022. After more than 18 years in office, the Chairman of the HELLA Management Board, Dr. Rolf Breidenbach (59), today reached an agreement with the Shareholders’ Committee of HELLA GmbH & Co. KGaA to terminate his management contract, which is due to expire on January 31, 2024, by mutual agreement on June 30, 2022. Until then, Dr. Rolf Breidenbach will perform his duties in full and ensure a smooth transition. A decision on a corresponding successor is to be made in a timely manner by the Shareholders' Committee.

“The decision to leave HELLA after such a long time was not easy for me. But with Faurecia as HELLA’s new majority shareholder, the way is now paved for a successful future. The two companies complement each other perfectly. It was therefore a particular concern of mine to prepare the integration in the best possible way. This milestone has now been reached,” says HELLA CEO Dr. Rolf Breidenbach. “I am grateful for having been able to drive the development of the company over such a long period of time together with the global HELLA team. I would also like to express my particular gratitude for the great trust placed in me by the shareholders and corporate boards over all these years. Without this strong backing and the support of the more than 36,000 HELLA colleagues worldwide, this success would not have been possible.”

Patrick Koller, CEO of Faurecia, says: “Dr. Breidenbach's decision is understandable. He has left behind an extremely well-tilled field. HELLA is an excellently positioned company with a strong future. In particular, we would like to thank Mr. Breidenbach for the close and constructive cooperation over the past months. We will continue this trusting cooperation without restriction until his departure. Furthermore, it is intended that Dr. Breidenbach will continue to support the de facto group in an advisory capacity beyond this date.”

Carl-Peter Forster, Chairman of the HELLA Shareholders’ Committee adds: “Although we deeply regret Dr. Breidenbach’s decision, we of course respect it. In his role as Chairman of the Management Board, Dr. Breidenbach has significantly advanced the development of the company over the past 18 years and excellently positioned HELLA as one of the world’s leading suppliers of lighting technology and automotive electronics. For these achievements, he deserves our utmost thanks.”

Dr. Rolf Breidenbach joined the family-owned company HELLA as Chairman of the Management Board in January 2004. The mechanical engineer with a doctorate in engineering was thus the first non-family manager to head the company. Together with the long-standing personally liable managing general partner, Dr. Jürgen Behrend, he formed HELLA into a leading global automotive supplier and successfully took the company public in November 2014. In addition to his role as CEO, Dr. Breidenbach was also repeatedly responsible for key business areas of the company over a long period of time, including the Electronics division, where he positioned HELLA in particular in key future fields such as electromobility and autonomous driving.