Lindt & Sprüngli CEO Dieter Weisskopf is set to retire at the end of 2022 after six years as CEO and 27 years with the company.

Adalbert Lechner, CEO of Lindt’s German subsidiary and member of the group management, will succeed Weisskopf as group CEO. The company’s Board of Directors will also propose electing Weisskopf as a new member at Lindt’s Annual General Meeting later this month.

"Dieter Weisskopf has contributed significantly to the success of our group,” said Ernst Tanner, Board of Directors executive chairman. “Under his leadership, the company recorded a successful and sustainable performance. Over the past six years, he and the management team have positioned the group very well for future global challenges, both strategically and organizationally, as well as in the important area of sustainability. The balance sheet and income statement have been further strengthened, and regions with faster growth have been expanded. All the prerequisites for a continuation of our success story have thus been met. I am extremely pleased that we can continue to count on Dieter Weisskopf's support as a member of the Board of Directors."

"Lindt & Sprüngli is in very good shape, so this is an ideal time to hand over the leadership to new hands," Weisskopf added. "I look back with pride and much pleasure on my many years of service to the Group and look forward to leading the company until towards the end of the year, continuing to accompany Lindt & Sprüngli as a member of the Board of Directors and devoting myself to new entrepreneurial activities."  

Incoming CEO Adalbert Lechner joined the Lindt & Sprüngli Group in 1993. First serving as CEO of the Austrian subsidiary, Lechner was appointed CEO of the German subsidiary in 1997. Under his leadership, the German subsidiary has developed into the largest division of the group. Lechner was a member of the extended group management from 2011 to 2016. Since 2017, Lechner has been a member of the group management and has been responsible, in addition to managing Lindt Germany, for the development of the company’s northern and eastern Europe markets, as well as the Global Retail/Online division.

"I am very much looking forward to my new role as CEO of the Group and would like to thank the Board of Directors for their trust," Lechner said. "Dieter Weisskopf hands over the company to me in excellent shape and expectations for the future development are high. I am happy to accept this challenge, as I can rely on an outstanding management team."