CSO Philipp Studerus looks back on his first few months in office

By adapting our organisational structure, we have been able to significantly improve collaboration within the company. The new structure reduces coordination issues, establishes clear lines of responsibility and increases the ability of individual departments to take action.

The introduction of the Extended Executive Board (EGL) has made a significant contribution to this. Thanks to a closer-knit and more agile management team, decision-making processes have become shorter. At the same time, cross-departmental communication has improved, particularly between the Production & Engineering and Sales & Logistics departments.

Over the past few months, there has been a particular focus on sales, especially at Kuratle & Jaecker. Together, we have succeeded in optimising the organisation whilst ensuring stability and a calm working environment within the sales team. The low staff turnover creates a solid foundation for further development. At the same time, I make a conscious effort to spend time at our sites and maintain dialogue with our teams. I also greatly value direct contact with customers

Furthermore, we have been able to create attractive conditions to recruit high-performing staff and skilled professionals from the market for our company. With the recently opened, bilingual office in Biel, we are strengthening our presence in the north-west region and serving our customers in an even more personalised and efficient manner.

Remo Gspandl’s progress in his new role as Key Account National is particularly encouraging. Our collaboration has proved extremely successful and is making a significant contribution to our positive business performance.

A key milestone was the filling of all vacant positions in Category Management by April 2026. This has laid the groundwork in terms of staffing to ensure the long-term successful development of this area. The new staff members have settled into their roles well and successfully established themselves in their areas of responsibility.

Personally, I very much appreciate being able to maintain close contact with our suppliers and contribute strategically, whilst day-to-day operations are increasingly being managed by the relevant managers.

With Claudio Valenti (Head of Marketing, Trade Fairs and Exhibitions) taking up the post of Head of Marketing in April 2026, we were able to take another important step forward. His assumption of responsibility brought immediate relief and added professionalism to this area. Particularly valuable in this regard are his extensive network within the industry – which he brings with him from his work at the VSSM, amongst other things – as well as his deep understanding of our customers’ needs. This enables ideas from the sales department to be swiftly taken on board, professionally developed and effectively implemented.

Logistics is currently the area that requires the most attention and ties up a particularly large amount of resources. We have made initial progress in various areas, such as process quality and operational performance, but have not yet reached our target. It is of paramount importance that our customers receive a top-class service, from sales right through to logistics. After all, a well-executed delivery is the starting point for the next order. We are delighted with our collaboration with Senad Karalic, Managing Director of Meier Logistik. He brings significant expertise to the company, particularly in the areas of leadership, analytics, management and the development of management tools. This is essential if we are to continue to develop consistently and achieve our ambitious goals.

Overall, my assessment after nine months as CSO of the Kuratle Group is very positive. We have laid important foundations in terms of staffing and organisation, increased stability and, at the same time, set the stage for further growth. I would like to take this opportunity to extend a big thank you to all our staff for their dedication.

The Kuratle Group Strategy 2028, ‘United for Excellence’, developed over the past few months, together with the sub-strategies derived from it for each company, form the basis for becoming a little better every day – for our customers, within our teams, and with the aim of securing the company’s long-term success.