Volker Cwielong
1977, German
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
Head of Business Area Industrial Solutions / Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Volker Cwielong was appointed CEO of Datwyler and COO of the Industrial Solutions business area at the beginning of April 2024. Before joining Datwyler, he had been a member of the management team of the globally present Eberspächer Group since 2017 and led the Purem by Eberspächer division.
Prior to that, Volker Cwielong held various global management positions for international industrial groups and automotive suppliers from 2004 to 2017. Volker Cwielong holds a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration. He completed further management and leadership training at INSEAD and IMD.
Dr. Judith van Walsum
1964, Dutch
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Head of Group Function Finance & Shared Services
Judith van Walsum has been a member of the Datwyler Executive Committee since 2024 and, as Chief Financial Officer, heads the Finance & Shared Services Group Function. Previously, she was a representative of the public shareholders on the Board of Directors of Dätwyler Holding Inc. for two years and a member of the Audit Committee.
Judith van Walsum was Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Head of IT at Roche Diabetes Care, a globally operating business unit within the Roche Group, from 2018 to 2024. From 2004 to 2018, the Dutchwoman has held diverse global managerial functions for Roche, among which Head HR Operations (Group HR) and Head of Finance and Intercompany Supply Chain (Roche Diagnostics). From 1999 to 2004, she was Senior Manager in Financial Strategy, Process and Transformation for KPMG in Frankfurt. Judith van Walsum has undergone studies at several universities and has a PhD in international political economy at the London School of Economics.
Dirk Borghs
1963, Belgium
Chief Operating Officer (COO)
Head of Business Area Healthcare Solutions
Dirk Borghs has been a member of the Datwyler Executive Committee since February 2020 and heads the Healthcare Solutions Business Area. Prior to this, he had held a variety of positions at Datwyler. Most recently, he was Executive Senior Vice President responsible for the global manufacturing plants and supply chain of the Sealing Solutions division.
From 2006 to 2014, as Vice President for Strategic Projects and Global Procurement, he was responsible for planning and building the FirstLine plants in Belgium and India, among other things. Previously, he was head of the global healthcare quality and engineering unit and managed the healthcare plant in the United States for five years.
Before joining Datwyler in 1993, he worked as an engineer in the automotive industry. Dirk Borghs holds a degree in materials science from Leuven University, Belgium, and a degree in finance and marketing from Gent University, Belgium.
Sabrina Gérard
1968, Belgium
Chief Sustainability Officer (CSO)
Head of Group Function Sustainability and Operational Excellence
Sabrina Gérard has been a member of the Datwyler Executive Committee since 1 November 2022 and, as Chief Sustainability Officer, heads the Sustainability & Operational Excellence group function. She previously held several positions at Datwyler: Since 2021 as Head of Sustainability and Agility, from 2019 to 2021 as Chief Agility Officer and from 2016 to 2019 as Vice President Global Quality & EHS and from 2010 to 2015 as consultant for the local and global quality units in the former Sealing Solutions division.
Prior to joining Datwyler, she worked as an independent consultant supporting various companies, including Datwyler, on quality, lean and leadership topics. From 1991 to 2010, Sabrina Gérard worked in various management functions for Sterigenics, Rieter Automotive Systems (now Autoneum) and LGTB Metal Finishing.
Sabrina Gérard holds a Master in Biochemical Engineering from the University KU Leuven in Belgium and has completed various further education in lean and quality management and agile ways of working.
Dr. Frank Schön
1975, German/Swiss
Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Head of Group Function Technology & Innovation
Frank Schön has been a member of Datwyler's Executive Committee since February 2020 and, as Chief Technology Officer, heads the Technology & Innovation Group Function. Prior to that, he was Vice President R&D and Innovation, responsible for global research and development in the Sealing Solutions division since 2013.
From 2004 to 2012, he held various management positions in research and development in the Sealing Technologies division.
Frank Schön completed his studies in chemistry at the University of Bayreuth, Germany, with a master's diploma and then earned his PhD at the University of Freiburg, Germany. In addition, he holds an MAS in Business Administration and Engineering from the University of Lucerne.