Rob Smith appointed CEO of KION GROUP AG

The Supervisory Board of KION Group appoints Rob Smith as Chairman of the Board effective January 1, 2022. He succeeds Gordon Riske, who will leave the Board on December 31, 2021, but will remain with the company in an advisory capacity until June 30, 2022. Smith is currently President & CEO of the publicly listed Finnish company Konecranes.

(Frankfurt/Main) The US-American Rob Smith, who has been naturalized in Germany, will be the new CEO of KION GROUP AG. The Supervisory Board of the intralogistics company listed in the MDAX has appointed the 56-year-old as the successor to long-time CEO Gordon Riske, effective January 1, 2022, with a standard contract duration of three years for initial appointments. Riske will leave the Board on December 31, 2021 – six months before the end of his contract upon reaching the regular retirement age of 65. He will be available to advise his successor and the company until his original contract ends.

“We are very pleased to have secured one of the most distinguished global top managers in the capital goods industry, with proven experience in capital markets, M&A, and digitalization for the KION Group. Rob Smith brings all the experience and leadership qualities needed to seamlessly continue the growth trajectory of the KION Group,” said Michael Macht, Chairman of the Supervisory Board. “I am grateful to Gordon Riske for actively contributing to a smooth, long-term succession after 14 very successful years at the helm of the company.”

Success trajectory pursued for years

Rob Smith said: “For many years, I have been following the success trajectory of the KION Group under Gordon Riske’s leadership. As one of the market leaders, the company has been defining the development of its industry since its inception, shaped by the megatrends of automation, digitalization, and energy. My goal is to provide our customers with leading products, solutions, and services that offer decisive competitive advantages and to continue the impressive success of the KION Group with full commitment and energy. I am very much looking forward to leading this very successful and strong industrial company into its next growth phase in collaboration with the Supervisory Board, my new colleagues on the Board, and all 38,000 members of the KION family. This exciting company has enormous future potential.”

Rob Smith is currently President & CEO of the publicly listed Finnish company Konecranes, an internationally leading manufacturer of industrial cranes and container port automation. From 2013 to 2019, he was Senior Vice President & General Manager Europe, Africa, and the Middle East of the globally operating agricultural machinery company AGCO Corporation. Prior to that, he held management positions in companies in the automotive supply and capital goods industries in the USA, France, and Germany. Smith holds a BSE in Systems Engineering from Princeton University, an MBA in International Operations & Finance from the University of Texas at Austin – Red McCombs School of Business. He earned his doctorate (Dr.rer.pol.) in Supply Chain Management from WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management after graduating as a Diplom-Kaufmann.

Significantly better results than the previous year

At the end of July, KION Group reported significantly better results in all key figures for the first half of 2021 compared to the previous year. The Group achieved strong growth in order intake and revenue in the first six months of the current fiscal year, with a significantly disproportionate improvement in results, contributed by both segments, Industrial Trucks & Services (ITS) and Supply Chain Solutions (SCS). Coupled with a positive outlook for the entire year 2021 according to current forecasts for the global economy and particularly the emerging positive revenue development of the KION Group for the remainder of the year, KION Group also raised its forecast targets for the entire year 2021.

Photo: © KION Group