German automotive supplier Webasto appoints Johann Stohner as Chief Restructuring Officer

German auto parts supplier Webasto announced it is re-aligning its corporate strategy and adapting its organizational structures to the changed market environment, in response to the “ongoing crisis in the automotive industry”.

To this end, the global systems partner to the mobility industry is strengthening its Management Board and bringing Johann Stohner on board as Chief Restructuring Officer (CRO) at the beginning of this year.

The decision was taken by the Supervisory Board and Management Board of Webasto in close consultation with the owner families and lending banks in order to accelerate the financial and operational restructuring of the company to secure the future of Webasto.

Holger Engelmann, Chairman of the Management Board of Webasto SE, says: “We were on the right track with the optimization program we launched at the beginning of 2024. However, the general conditions in the automotive industry continued to deteriorate significantly for us in the second half of the year. Based on our overall responsibility to secure the future of the company and in consultation with all relevant stakeholders, we have therefore decided to initiate a restructuring process. We must continue to consistently adapt our production and development capacities to the changing situation, streamline our organization as a whole and further sharpen our product range. With the addition of recognized restructuring expert Johann Stohner to the Management Board team, we can now tackle this with even more power and focus. For weeks we have been cooperating intensively already with Mr. Stohner and we know how extremely valuable his expertise is for Webasto in the current situation.”

Johann Stohner is Managing Director at the consulting firm Alvarez & Marsal and has more than 25 years of experience in the reorganization of companies. He successfully led numerous restructuring projects at medium-sized companies as well as listed corporations. At Webasto, he will be responsible for managing the company’s restructuring process as a member of the Management Board and CRO from January, 15.

“With its innovative products in the roof and electrification sector, its strong brand positioning and its broad customer base, Webasto is one of the most important companies in the automotive industry worldwide. By concluding the stabilization agreement on 23 December 2024, we have reached an important milestone for the future financing of the company together with our core banks, promissory note holders and bilateral financiers. In this context, I would like to thank our financing partners for their support. We are now working intensively to develop a comprehensive restructuring concept,” explains Johann Stohner.