Meyer Burger CEO To Retire As CTO Assumes Charge

Continuing with its business strategy and transformation plans, Europe’s leading solar PV technology equipment manufacturer Meyer Burger Technology AG has taken on a new position. Going forward, the management has decided to center its business strategy fully on heterojunction and SmartWire Connection Technology (SWCT), and handed over the reins of the Swiss company to an executive from the inner circle.

The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the company Dr Gunter Erfurt has been announced as the new chief executive officer (CEO) of Meyer Burger. A physicist with more than 20 years of experience in the global PV industry, Erfurt was found by the company’s board of directors as the perfect choice for the role.

Erfurt has been with Meyer Burger since 2015 and was instrumental in the development and launch of its HJT technology. He was previously the managing director of SolarWorld’s R&D subsidiary. “Gunter Erfurt is a highly respected industry expert with a proven track record in PV technology. He has been closely involved in the strategic realignment of Meyer Burger and is the right choice to lead the Company into the new era”, said Dr Remo Lütolf, chairman of the board.

Leaving the reins of the company in Erfurt’s hands is outgoing CEO Dr Hans Brändle who has decided to retire from his position by the end of March 2020. He will stay on until mid 2020 to support Erfurt in the handover of his responsibilities. Brändle was instrumental in finding a new course and strategy for the Swiss company that was formerly a large group of PV companies offering almost any type of production equipment along the silicon solar supply chain from wafers to modules. Under Brändle’s reign Meyer Burger sold several subsidiaries and has become the largest shareholder of promising next gen perovskite company Oxford PV while working on a strategy to cope with a development in China that sees Chinese PV producers are now mostly purchasing equipment from domestic suppliers

Another executive change unveiled by the company during the announcement of its financial results for 2019 is that Lütolf will not seek re-election to the board of directors and the board will seek a successor. Management has also brokered peace with its ‘activist’ and largest shareholder Sentis Capital PPC; one of the latter’s representatives will be proposed by Meyer Burger to the company’s board during the annual general meeting scheduled for May 13, 2020.

Inn March 2019, Meyer Burger announced the departure of its COO Daniel Lippuner followed by CCO Michael Escher in April 2019 and said the transformation of the executive board is now complete (see Meyer Burger CCO & COO To Leave Company).