DGAP-News: OHB SE

Bremen - The Supervisory Board of Bremen-based space and technology group OHB SE has appointed Dr. Lutz Bertling to the Management Board effective April 1, 2018. In this new position, he will oversee corporate development, space services and digitalization. In addition, the Supervisory Board has appointed Kurt Melching, who is already a member of the Management Board of OHB System AG and director of finance and controlling of OHB SE, to the Management Board of OHB SE, also effective April 1, 2018. He will be responsible for Group finance.

Dr. Bertling and Dr. Fritz Merkle will be jointly responsible for corporate development until the latter retires from the Management Board of OHB SE for age reasons on June 30, 2018, after which Dr. Bertling will oversee these activities on his own. One major aspect of his duties will be to harness synergistic effects at the Group level and to improve efficiency. Additions to the OHB portfolio will contribute to the Group's sustained profitable growth.

This particularly applies to space services, which Dr. Bertling will continue to expand as a new segment within the OHB Group. The main focus will be on value-added services derived from the Group's existing core business. One example of this is the incorporation of OHB Satellitenbetrieb GmbH.

Finally, Dr. Bertling will be contributing to the OHB Group digitization skills, which are particularly crucial for "New Space" services and activities and will also help to optimize and industrialize all processes within OHB.

"We have gained in Dr. Bertling an experienced manager who has an impressive track record after working for global industrial companies," says Marco Fuchs, Chief Executive Officer of OHB SE. "He not only boosted the profitability of these companies but also implemented innovative approaches and utilized modern digitization instruments to achieve greater efficiency and quality improvements as well as new customer solutions. These capabilities make him an ideal addition to the OHB management team."

"I deliberately opted for a company that is pursuing long-term strategies," says Lutz Bertling. "In addition, I was very attracted by OHB's incredible growth potential. And not least of all, I looked forward to a more business-oriented perspective. I am pleased to have the opportunity of working with a creative team at OHB to harness potential and to open up new areas of business."

Dr. Lutz Bertling studied mechanical engineering with a major in production technology at Braunschweig Technical University and completed his doctorate at the Institute of Machine Tools and Production Engineering. Aged 55 years, he was most recently President of the Bombardier Transportation Group, Berlin and Chief Operating Officer at Bombardier Inc., Montreal. Between 1993 and 2013, Dr. Bertling worked for the Airbus Group (formerly EADS), where he was CEO of the Eurocopter Group responsible for Airbus' helicopter business from 2006 until 2013. He was also a member of the Airbus Group management board.

Kurt Melching, born in 1962, has been with the company since 1988 and has been the head since then, later director of finance and controlling. Since 2012, Melching has been responsible for Finance in the board of OHB System AG. Since 2004 he was also authorized representative of the parent company OHB SE. The 55-year-old graduate in business administration will also continue this activity as member of the board responsible for Group finance.