We mourn the loss of Heinz Hermann Thiele, long-time Chairman of the Management Board of Knorr-Bremse, a visionary entrepreneurial personality with strategic foresight who shaped the global rail and commercial vehicle industry for over 35 years. Heinz Hermann Thiele dedicated his entire life to the service of the company with tireless personal commitment. In doing so, he always set the highest standards for himself as well as for his employees. This amazing energy and willpower, coupled with the ability to persevere, has led Knorr-Bremse to incredible success.

Mr. Thiele always combined his entrepreneurial and personal success with social responsibility. As a patron, Mr. Thiele not only founded the non-profit organization Knorr-Bremse Global Care e.V. in 2005, but also supported numerous other social and scientific projects around the world. In Munich, Mr. Thiele’s sponsorships include the Bavarian State Opera, the Lenbachhaus, the Deutsches Museum and the Technical University of Munich. Among many other honors, he was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit First Class (Bundesverdienstkreuz Erster Klasse), the Bavarian Order of Merit (Bayerischer Verdienstorden) and, in 2015, the German-Brazilian Personality Award.

As a far-sighted entrepreneur, Heinz Hermann Thiele placed the management of the company in the hands of external managers almost 15 years ago. A further step towards securing the future viability was the IPO in 2018, when he opened the company to the capital market and other investors. Today, the development of the company is in the hands of a highly experienced management team that will continue Knorr-Bremse’s successful growth path together with the Supervisory Board, Senior Management and all employees in the spirit of Mr. Thiele. Heinz Hermann Thiele always placed great emphasis on above-average and successful growth with a pronounced will to shape the company. We are very grateful to him for this lifetime achievement.