Implenia gets a new CEO

There will be a change of leadership at Implenia. André Wyss, CEO of Implenia since October 2018, will step down at the end of March 2025. According to a press release, Wyss intends to focus on "existing and new mandates" and withdraw from operational management. His successor will be Jens Vollmar, currently Head Division Buildings at Implenia.

"André Wyss has led Implenia through a profound transformation since 2018 and realigned the entire Group strategically and operationally," says Hans Ulrich Meister, Chairman of Implenia's Board of Directors. He has transformed Implenia into a "financially healthy, integrated, multinational construction and real estate services provider".

The future CEO Jens Vollmar has been with the company since 2013. Since 2015, he has headed the former Buildings division and since 2019 the Buildings division as a member of the Implenia Executive Committee. He also heads the Country Executive Committee Switzerland as Country President. Before joining Implenia, Jens Vollmar worked as a senior consultant at the University of St. Gallen after completing his education and obtaining his doctorate in economics. He teaches corporate transactions and construction and real estate management at the HSG, is a member of the board of "Bauenschweiz" and Vice President of the board of the "Development Switzerland" association. No successor has yet been appointed for his current position.

Implenia has also announced a change in the management of the Civil Engineering Division. Christian Späth is stepping down from his role at the end of August. He is accepting "a new external challenge". His successor as Head of the Civil Engineering Division and member of the Implenia Executive Committee will be Erwin Scherer from 1 September. He has been Global Head Tunnelling at Implenia since 2019 and is responsible for tunnel construction and related infrastructure projects in the European markets. Previously, he was Business Unit Manager at Ed. Züblin AG, Project and Construction Manager at Walter Bau AG and Stuag/Strabag AG. Erwin Scherer trained as a "Graduate Civil Engineer" at the Montan-University Leoben, where he also worked as a research assistant.

Targets for 2024 confirmed

Implenia announced the new appointments at the same time as its financial figures for the first half of the year. These reported EBIT at the previous year's level (CHF 50.5 million after CHF 49.9 million) and a slight increase in revenue to CHF 1.741 billion (H1 2023: CHF 1.720 billion). Adjusted for currency effects, the Group increased sales by 2.7%. In the Real Estate division, EBIT fell from CHF 16.1 million to CHF 6.8 million. Real estate sales had contributed to the result in the same period of the previous year. According to Implenia, new transactions are in preparation for the second half of the year. The book value of the existing Real Estate portfolio increased from CHF 158.8 million to CHF 197.0 million in the first half of the year as a result of investments (via two acquisitions totaling CHF 40 million had IB here reported). Switzerland's largest construction group confirms its guidance for the year as a whole. This stands at an EBIT of around CHF 130 million. (aw)