At Warsteiner, one of Germany's leading privately-owned breweries, executive leadership has undergone another significant reorganization. On July 23, 2026, Bodo-Joachim Wendenburg took over as Chairman of the Executive Board (CEO). The 65-year-old restructuring specialist from advisory firm Executive Interim Partners has been working with the company since spring 2026. He was initially brought in to oversee ongoing capacity reductions and has now been promoted directly to the top executive role to steer the brewery through its operational consolidation.
Wendenburg assumes leadership during a challenging phase for the company, as brand sales fell by 10.5% in the first half of 2026. His primary mandate is the consistent execution of a drastic capacity reduction program aimed at returning the headquarters in Warstein to profitability. This strategy resulted in the decision to terminate operations at subsidiary sites (inside.beer, 11.5.2026). The brewery in Herford, home to the Herforder brand, will close at the end of August 2026, while the facility in Paderborn, home to the Paderborner brand, is scheduled to be sold by the end of the year. With Wendenburg's appointment, the management board returns to a three-person team, including sales and marketing director Raphael Rauer and technical director Jens Hoffmann. However, Hoffmann will leave the group by the end of 2026 at the latest to join competitor Bitburger.
Prior to joining the brewing group, Wendenburg served for several years as Chief Transformation Officer at spirits producer Borco Markenimport, guiding the company until its sale by the founding family to Stock Spirits. His appointment highlights the ongoing financial and operational hurdles faced by the sole owner, Catharina Cramer. To cover ongoing losses and stabilize the business during the restructuring, Cramer has repeatedly injected substantial private funds into the company. According to regional newspaper Soester Anzeiger, her recent personal capital contributions amounted to EUR 20 million. Despite these financial challenges and frequent leadership changes, internal support for the owner remains high among staff, with employees often attributing erratic strategic decisions to the company's advisory board rather than Cramer herself.
The latest leadership shake-up marks another chapter in an unstable management history since Catharina Cramer joined the executive board exactly 20 years ago alongside her father, Albert Cramer. By 2006, annual volume of the flagship beer brand had already halved from its 1994 peak of 6.29 million hectoliters to 3.2 million hl. Six months after Cramer entered management, father and daughter dismissed long-serving general plenipotentiary Gustavo Möller-Hergt. Following Albert Cramer's death in 2012, Catharina Cramer initiated a series of external leadership appointments, beginning in 2014 with Martin Hötzel, a former manager at energy drink producer Red Bull. Hötzel was replaced in 2017 by Alessandra Cama from consulting firm Roland Berger, who departed after just one year (inside.beer, 29.10.2018). Her colleague Christian Gieselmann then assumed the CEO role, only to be succeeded three years later by restructuring expert Helmut Hörz (inside.beer, 4.11.2021). After confidence in Hörz faded (inside.beer, 26.11.2024), Rauer temporarily acted as speaker of the board before Wendenburg was brought in to lead the current turnaround efforts.
