Personnel change at Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG

• Gerd Chrzanowski is stepping down from his role as a shareholder in Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, effective March 31, 2026.
  
  
• Alexander Birken, chair of the supervisory board of the Otto Group, will join Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG on April 1, 2026, and become a limited partner.
  
  

Gerd Chrzanowski (54) is stepping down as a shareholder in Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG (RBIK), effective March 31, 2026. This is due to the increasingly overlapping business activities of Bosch and the Schwarz Group, which Chrzanowski has managed as general partner since 2021. To avoid potential conflicts of interest, both sides have agreed on this step as a precautionary measure.

“We regret Gerd Chrzanowski’s departure and wish to thank him for his commitment and valuable contributions. His in-depth expertise, particularly in the area of digitalization, and his strategic vision were an asset to our organization,”

said Prof. Stefan Asenkerschbaumer, the managing partner of Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG and chairman of the supervisory board of Robert Bosch GmbH.

Effective April 1, 2026, his successor as a shareholder in Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG will be Alexander Birken (61), chair of the supervisory board of the Otto Group. Birken moved from chair of the executive board to chair of the supervisory board at the beginning of March 2025. After graduating in business administration, he started his career at Philips Medical Systems. He joined the financial controlling division of the Otto Group in 1991, managed various companies in the Group, and was appointed chair of the executive board in 2017. He has worked for the company for more than 35 years and brings extensive experience to his new role.

The RBIK industrial trust carries out the entrepreneurial ownership functions at Robert Bosch GmbH. The role of the trust is the result of the distinctive corporate constitution of Robert Bosch GmbH, which safeguards the legacy of the company founder Robert Bosch. While the majority of voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG, the majority of the share capital in Robert Bosch GmbH is held by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a limited liability company with a charitable purpose. However, the latter company has no influence over the Bosch Group’s strategic and business orientation. This special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH guarantees the entrepreneurial freedom of the Bosch Group, making it possible for the company to plan over the long term and to undertake significant upfront investments in the safeguarding of its future.

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The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. It employs roughly 412,000 associates worldwide (as of December 31, 2025). According to preliminary figures, the company generated sales of 91 billion euros in 2025. Its operations are divided into four business sectors: Mobility, Industrial Technology, Consumer Goods, and Energy and Building Technology. With its business activities, the company aims to use technology to help shape universal trends such as automation, electrification, digitalization, connectivity, and an orientation to sustainability. In this context, Bosch’s broad diversification across regions and industries strengthens its innovativeness and robustness. Bosch uses its proven expertise in sensor technology, software, and services to offer customers cross-domain solutions from a single source. It also applies its expertise in connectivity and artificial intelligence in order to develop and manufacture user-friendly, sustainable products. With technology that is “Invented for life,” Bosch wants to help improve quality of life and conserve natural resources. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its roughly 490 subsidiary and regional companies in over 60 countries. Including sales and service partners, Bosch’s global manufacturing, engineering, and sales network covers nearly every country in the world. Bosch’s innovative strength is key to the company’s further development. At 136 locations across the globe, Bosch employs some 82,000 associates in research and development.

The company was set up in Stuttgart in 1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical Engineering.” The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH guarantees the entrepreneurial freedom of the Bosch Group, making it possible for the company to plan over the long term and to undertake significant upfront investments in the safeguarding of its future. Ninety-four percent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by Robert Bosch Stiftung GmbH, a limited liability company with a charitable purpose. The remaining shares are held by Robert Bosch GmbH and by a company owned by the Bosch family. The majority of voting rights are held by Robert Bosch Industrietreuhand KG. It is entrusted with the task of safeguarding the company’s long-term existence and in particular its financial independence – in line with the mission handed down in the will of the company’s founder, Robert Bosch.

Additional information is available online at www.bosch.com, www.bosch-press.com.