19 March 2025

2 minute read

By: Big Dutchman

• The current interim CEO Bernd Meerpohl will resume his role as Chairman of the Supervisory Board

• The current interim Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Jürgen Steinemann, will return to his position as Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board

Big Dutchman AG in Vechta-Calveslage has a new CEO. With Steffen Bersch, an experienced industry expert has been appointed by the world market leader for livestock equipment. The 55-year-old has his first day at the company this Monday.

Bernd Meerpohl will resume his role as Chairman of the Supervisory Board with immediate effect. He served as interim CEO of Big Dutchman AG from 1 October 2024, after Dr Frank Hiller left the company.

Bernd Meerpohl: “We are delighted that we have been able to find an extremely competent candidate for this vacancy so quickly. With his professional expertise and down-to-earth personality, Steffen Bersch is an excellent fit for our family business. He has worked in food production, agricultural engineering and logistics for many years. He has international experience but is also familiar with the region. I wish Steffen Bersch all the best and thank Jürgen Steinemann for his work as interim Chairman of the Supervisory Board.”

Steffen Bersch studied food technology in the old Hanseatic city of Lemgo. The graduate engineer worked for the GEA Group for almost twenty years in various roles, including three years in the United Arab Emirates. In the final around four years of his time with the GEA Group, Steffen Bersch served as a member of the Executive Board, with responsibility for agricultural engineering topics, among others.

In 2020, Bersch was appointed CEO of the SSI Schaefer Group, a family-owned business with 11,000 employees that specialises in global intralogistics.

Originally from Wattenscheid in the Ruhr area, Steffen Bersch has been living in Münster for many years. He is married and has two grown-up children.

Steffen Bersch: “I look forward to being able to lead Big Dutchman AG into the next phase of growth, together with our more than 3,100 employees worldwide. As a trained chef and food technologist, I know how important nutritious food is – and the crucial role farmers play in this. I see it as our task to accompany them as an innovative partner.”