The past year has shown how well positioned HENSOLDT now is in the market. The targets for all the relevant indicators were met once again in fiscal year 2023 and the company continued its growth path. An important strategic step on this journey is the transition from components to solutions provider. With major projects such as PEGASUS and Eurofighter, HENSOLDT is already heading in the right direction. The aim now is to take on the operational challenges and handle the growth successfully. This includes the industrialisation of development and production processes and the modularisation of our products and solutions, which were decisively driven forward by our Chief Strategy Officer Celia Pelaz.

In addition, the reorganisation of the Management Board means that HENSOLDT is perfectly prepared for the coming decade. The process was kicked off by the new Chief Financial Officer, Christian Ladurner, who has moved up the ranks and has therefore long been familiar with the company’s processes; he took charge of the finance team in June 2022. The comprehensive rollout of digital processes will pave the way into the future. In the area of human resources, another industry expert, Dr. Lars Immisch, was recruited for HENSOLDT. He will identify expert creative solutions in HR for resolving the skills shortages and introducing new worlds of working.

The selection of the new Chief Executive Officer, Oliver Dörre, is the last piece of the puzzle of a careful succession process and marks the completion of the generational change on the HENSOLDT Management Board, which had commenced in 2022. With his deep understanding of the industry and the customers as well as his experience in electronics in the military business, he contributes exactly those qualities that the company needs for the challenges to come. The changeover comes at the perfect moment for Oliver Dörre to continue HENSOLDT’s success story that Thomas Müller had started.

The foundation for the future has been laid not only in the Management Board, but also in the Supervisory Board. Regular reviews, clear working structures and strategic involvement are additional measures that have been taken to ensure that the supervisory body is in an even better position to discharge its duties. The involvement of all stakeholders, open dialog and a clear focus on shared goals are the number one priority in this process.

The coming years will bring major change, not only for HENSOLDT, but for the entire European defence industry, and discussions about a joint strategic European armaments policy will increasingly take centre stage. HENSOLDT is well prepared for these discussions, not least because of its acquisition of ESG Elektroniksystem- und Logistik-GmbH.

None of this would, however, be possible without HENSOLDT’s most important asset: its employees. All our employees are passionate about their jobs, the products and technologies and approach their tasks with a high degree of motivation and extreme focus. That is our company’s hallmark, and every HENSOLDTian deserves special thanks for making a difference – day in, day out – for a safe tomorrow.