Kulmbacher Brauerei AG has announced that Dr. Jörg Lehmann (55) will step in as interim CEO following the retirement of current CEO Markus Stodden at the end of October. Stodden, who has served the company for 23 years, is set to retire on October 31, 2023.
Lehmann, who will share leadership responsibilities with Chief Financial Officer and Chief Technology Officer Mathias Keil, is expected to hold this interim position until a permanent successor for Stodden is appointed.
Lehmann is no stranger to Kulmbacher; he previously served as the company’s technical director from 2013 to 2018 before moving to the parent company in Munich to lead Paulaner Brauerei. The Paulaner Brewing Group holds a 63.8 percent stake in the publicly traded Kulmbacher Brauerei AG.
His tenure at Paulaner, which is 70% owned by the Schörghuber Unternehmensgruppe and 30% by Dutch brewer Heineken, lasted from 2018 to 2023. Lehmann left Paulaner in April following differences in opinions regarding the company’s approach to achieving sustainable profitable growth and its organizational structure (inside.beer, 5.4.2024). Therefore, his return to a leadership position within the Paulaner Group was met with surprise by many observers.
Despite his departure from Paulaner, Lehmann maintained strong relations with the Schörghuber family and the group. His contributions to the profitable growth of Paulaner's beverage segment were notably praised by the Schörghuber Unternehmensgruppe during his exit.
