Bühler Inc has announced the appointment of Andy Sharpe as new president and CEO as of January 1, 2019. Sharpe succeeds René Steiner, who will be retiring, capping off a successful 50 year career at Bühler.

Steiner will remain with Bühler throughout the official transition to ensure continuity of operations and continue to develop important customer relationships.

Andy Sharpe has more than 20 years’ experience with Bühler, working across all functions of the organization, including sales, marketing, research and development, engineering, manufacturing and executive leadership. Sharpe started with Bühler in 1996, when he was hired as market manager to establish the company’s European office in Stamford, UK. Later, he was appointed regional director to serve market needs for the company’s European, Middle Eastern and African markets. Most recently, Sharpe served as president and CEO of Bühler Aeroglide in Raleigh, NC from April 2015 to the present. Prior to joining Bühler, Sharpe served as business manager for the snack and cereal division of APV Baker in Peterborough, UK, where he marketed complete food processing lines.

“We are happy that, with Andy Sharpe, we were able to find a seasoned and successful Business Leader as successor for René.” said Bühler Group’s global head of sales and service, Dieter Voegtli. ”Andy’s appointment will allow us to further develop relationships with our customers, based on the foundation laid by René and to provide continuity to our teams in North America.”

As head of the Aeroglide business unit, Andy built a culture of trust, respect, and open communication, transforming that organization into one where entrepreneurship, accountability, and innovation flourishes. In his new role, he will apply that same transformational leadership to the North American sales and service organization. With Bühler’s world renowned technology solutions, his goals are to improve quality, project execution, and ultimately bring Bühler closer to its customers; helping them reach their goals of sustainability, productivity, and profitability.

“It’s an exciting time to take over the helm of Bühler North America as we advance a phase of equipment solutions and digital innovations that allow our customers to satisfy the basic food, mobility, and communications needs for billions of people, every day,” said Sharpe. “As president and CEO, my goal is to perpetuate Bühler’s world class expertise, to help our customers grow their businesses across all industries, as well as create a workplace where our employees can thrive and do their very best.”