Executive Management Board

Kai Acker, born in 1968, initially trained as an energy electronics specialist before studying general electrical engineering at RWTH Aachen University and going on to obtain a master of business administration (MBA) from the Technical University in Munich, Germany. He began his professional career in 1997 as a project engineer for ATR Industrie-Elektronik GmbH & Co. KG in Viersen, Germany. From 1999 to 2001 he was a research associate and consultant and chair in business administration at the Technical University in Munich, Germany. In 2002 he assumed his first managerial posts, first as plant manager at the Duisburg factory of Süd-Chemie AG, Germany, and later as president director of P.T. Süd Chemie Indonesia in Jakarta. From 2006 to 2012 he held various managerial positions at KRONES AG in Neutraubling, Germany, ultimately as business unit manager for Filling and Packaging Technology: Filling Section. In 2012 he moved to LEONI Special Cables GmbH, where until 2018 he was managing director and vice-president of the Telecommunication Systems Business Unit. He has been CEO of KHS GmbH in Dortmund since October 15, 2018.

Martin Resch, born in 1966, is a business administration graduate. From October 2005 he worked for Klöckner-Werke AG in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, in his last post as general agent and managing director of various companies within the Salzgitter Group. In May 2011 he moved to Salzgitter Mannesmann Line Pipe GmbH in Siegen, Germany, where as managing director he was responsible for Controlling, Finance and Accounting, IT, Human Resources and Purchasing until March 2013. In April 2013 he then took up the post of managing director of Salzgitter Mannesmann Precision GmbH in Mülheim, Germany, where he was head of Controlling, Finance and Accounting, IT, Purchasing and Strategy until December 2015. He has been head of Finance, Purchasing and IT at KHS GmbH in Dortmund, Germany, since January 1, 2016.

Tobias Wetzel studied business administration (BBA) and then went on to complete his MBA. He began his career as a financial analyst for Coca-Cola and was later an international auditor for Schmalbach-Lubeca AG. From 2001 to 2005 he worked as senior controller for Mannesmann Röhren-Werke GmbH. From 2006 to 2010 he held positions as group controller and vice-president of operations at Salzgitter Mannesmann Stainless Tubes, both in Mülheim, Germany, and the USA. In 2011 he moved to KHS GmbH, where until 2020 he held various managerial posts, among them managing director of the production site in Hamburg, Germany, and executive vice-president of the Service Division. From November 2020 to December 2023, he was managing director of Mannesmann Stainless Tubes. He has been CSO at KHS GmbH since January 2024.

Walter Schön, born in Austria in 1975, attended the College for Electronics and Communications Engineering (HTL) in Rankweil, Austria, prior to obtaining a postgraduate degree in business administration from the Graduate School of Business Administration in Horgen, Switzerland. He began his professional career in 1995 as an IT consultant, specializing in IT and HR information systems. From 2006 to 2012 he held various posts as an executive HR manager in total rewards/compensation and benefits, including at Converium Holding AG and Helsana Versicherungen AG in Switzerland. In 2012 he joined thyssenkrupp AG, Germany, where up until 2019 he took on a number of managerial roles, first as head of Compensation & Grading and from 2014 as head of Total Rewards & Performance Management for the thyssenkrupp Group. In October 2019 he was appointed Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at thyssenkrupp Uhde GmbH in Dortmund, Germany. Mr. Schön has been CHRO of KHS GmbH in Dortmund since June 1, 2025.