New board member appointed
At KHS’ parent company Salzgitter AG Birgit Dietze takes over as CHRO and Labor Director from her predecessor Michael Kieckbusch, who retired at the end of 2024.
Birgit Dietze joined the Executive Board of Salzgitter AG in September 2024. At the start of the new year, she took on the role of Chief Human Resources Officer and Labor Director. She follows on from Michael Kieckbusch, who had held this position since 2013 and entered retirement on December 31, 2024, after 35 years of service to the Group and its predecessor company.
After completing an apprenticeship as an industrial clerk, Dietze first studied economics. She then went on to major in law at the Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany, finishing with her second state examination. She subsequently spent three-and-a-half years as a legal advisor to IG Metall before working as a lawyer. After graduating as a specialized lawyer for labor law, Dietze returned to IG Metall. Here, she held various managerial posts from 2012 to 2022, her last as head of the Berlin, Brandenburg and Saxony district. Before being assigned to Salzgitter AG, she held a number of supervisory board mandates, such as at Volkswagen, Porsche Leipzig and MAN Energy Solution. Most recently, Dietze worked in her own law firm, specializing in collective and individual labor law.
Strong management team
Together with CFO Birgit Potrafki, who has been responsible for the Group’s finances since April 2024, Dietze forms a majority of female board members. This may be rather unusual in this branch of industry; however, the focus here is on a strong and competent management team that approaches the tasks on hand with great motivation and clear vision. “With Ms. Dietze and Ms. Potrafki, we’re well positioned to further advance our Salzgitter 2030 strategy and establish our Group as a leading company in the circular economy world,” says CEO Gunnar Groebler of the board restructure.
