The new CEO is Markus Vaerst, who replaced Iris Hilb. She was appointed from 1 January 2023 and stepped down last month for personal reasons.
Markus Vaerst graduated from the Goethe University in Frankfurt with a degree in economics in 1989. He has more than 35 years of experience in the rail logistics and freight car industry. Vaerst joined Wascosa in 2019, initially strengthening the management team as Chief Operating Officer (COO). Since the end of 2022, he has been driving the company's digital transformation as Chief Digital & Quality Officer.
Commenting on the change, Philipp Müller, Chairman of the Board of Wascosa, said: "We are delighted to appoint Markus Vaerst - a proven expert in the rail freight industry - as our new CEO. With his decades of experience and track record in driving digitalisation and quality, he is uniquely qualified to lead Wascosa into the future. His appointment ensures that we remain firmly on course with our customer-focused strategy, while further strengthening our innovation and service leadership across Europe."
Markus Vaerst added: "It is both an honour and a great responsibility to be entrusted with the role of CEO at Wascosa. I look forward to continuing our journey together with our dedicated team".
Iris Hilb concluded by saying: "It has been a pleasure to drive our business forward together with the wonderful team at Wascosa. These almost three years at Wascosa have shown me that Wascosa is a very strong player in our market and is constantly evolving. Strong customer and service orientation, innovation and flexibility are in Wascosa's DNA and will certainly support further growth. I would like to thank Philipp Müller and the shareholders for their support."
