Gerd Röders, managing partner of the foundry G.A. Röders GmbH & Co. KG in Soltau, is the new President of the WirtschaftsVereinigung Metalle (WVMetalle). The members' meeting unanimously elected Röders to the office at its autumn meeting in Berlin.
As the long-standing managing director of a traditional family business in its sixth generation, Röders is particularly concerned with the issues of sustainability and small and medium-sized enterprises: "
Small and medium-sized enterprises are an important anchor of stability for our country - as drivers of innovation, for sustainable business, for local responsibility in the communities and countries of our production sites. We want to continue to operate in Germany and Europe in the future. For this, our companies urgently need to be freed from the increasingly tight bureaucratic corset. In my view, the key to this lies in mutual trust between the state and businesses. We need a change in thinking here: away from the protection mentality towards a responsibility mentality on both sides. This is something I would particularly like to work for as President."
Stefan Neese, Managing Director of Seppeler Holding & Verwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG, was confirmed in office as Treasurer. Christine Marin, Managing Partner of Kopf Holding GmbH, was again elected Vice-President. Stefan Michel, Managing Director of Ed. Fitscher GmbH & Co. KG, is new in the office of Vice President. Rob van Gils, Managing Director and one of the shareholders of Hammerer Aluminium Industries Holding GmbH, and Rolf Werner, Director Global Center of Excellence Chemical Engineering & Surfaces of Wieland-Werke AG, are Vice-Presidents of WVMetalle by virtue of their offices as President of Aluminium Deutschland and Chairman of the Board of the Copper Association respectively. The new President of WVMetalle Gerd Röders (60) has been managing G.A. Röders GmbH & Co. KG SINCE 1998. Röders has been a member of the WVMetalle Presidium since 2019.
