Viega appoints new CEO

Attendorn, 21 March 2024

Markus Brettschneider will become Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Viega Group effective on September 1, 2024. He succeeds Claus Holst-Gydesen, who is moving to Viega’s Supervisory Board. With Markus Brettschneider, the family-owned company headquartered in Attendorn, Germany, has opted for a successor from within its own ranks.

"Following an intensive selection process, we are delighted to appoint an outstanding internal candidate as global Chief Executive Officer. It was very important to us that we continue to work with a CEO with whom we have great trust – not only with regard to the future growth of our company, but above all, with a view to preserving the cultural identity of our 125-year-old family business," say Anna Viegener and Walter Viegener, Chairs of the Shareholder Committee.

Markus Brettschneider new CEO from 1 September

Markus Brettschneider, 50, has been responsible for the growth of the North American business, Viega LLC, for the past three and a half years as President and CEO. Under his leadership, Viega LLC has grown significantly in terms of market share, locations and employees in the USA and Canada. Prior to this, he was in top management at ABB and FrieslandCampina, among others. Markus Brettschneider was born and raised in Germany. He studied economics in Germany, Scotland, and the USA.

Markus Brettschneider is looking forward to his new role: "I would like to thank the Viegener families for their trust. I look forward to continuing our success story together with my colleagues on the Management Board and all 5,000 employees." He also thanks the current CEO of the Viega Group, Claus Holst-Gydesen, who has promised to support the transition during the coming months and beyond.

Claus Holst-Gydesen to join the Supervisory Board

Claus Holst-Gydesen, 63, has managed the Viega Group's business as CEO for the last ten years. The company looks back on a strong decade under his leadership, as one of the global market leaders for sanitary and heating technology. In 2022, Viega achieved a turnover of 1.8 billion euros.

"Claus Holst-Gydesen has made an outstanding contribution to the company," emphasize Anna Viegener and Walter Viegener. "We would like to thank him very much and are delighted that we will be able to organize the change in our top management with him in the coming months and that he will continue to support us in an advisory capacity. We would not want to do this without his expertise in the future."

New CEO also appointed for Viega LLC

The company has also already appointed a successor to Markus Brettschneider. Andreas Reger will be the new President and CEO of Viega LLC. He was previously Managing Director of BBB Industries and has over twenty years of experience in the US market and in the top management of family-owned companies.