From the Sector

December 9, Lenzing AG announced that Rohit Aggarwal, Managing Board Member and Chief Executive Officer of Lenzing AG, has informed the Supervisory Board of his decision to resign from his position due to personal reasons, effective 31 January 2026. To support a smooth transition, Mr. Aggarwal will remain with Lenzing AG as an advisor to the company until end of September 2026. 

Following Mr. Aggarwal’s departure, Lenzing AG will be led by a three-member Managing Board. As part of the company’s continued organizational development and in support of its refined premiumization strategy, Lenzing AG will establish an Executive Committee (ExCo) consisting of six members. The ExCo will include the three members of the Managing Board and will be complemented by Lenzing's senior commercial managers Patricia Sargeant (Nonwovens Fibers), Yann Lepage (Textile Fibers) and Anton Putz (Pulp). The introduction of the ExCo is designed to support Lenzing’s strategic focus on commercial opportunities in high-performance fiber segments with the objective of reinforcing the company’s position as the leading integrated premium supplier of regenerated cellulosic fibers. 

The process to appoint a new Chief Executive Officer has been initiated by the Supervisory Board and an appointment will be announced at the appropriate time. 

Patrick Lackenbucher, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, comments: “On behalf of the Supervisory Board, I would like to thank Rohit Aggarwal for his commitment and for the progress achieved under his leadership, including the successful execution of the performance program, a sharpened strategic focus, and improved profitability. Structural profitability remains a key objective, and the Managing Board will continue its relentless focus on improving Lenzing's competitive position, its financial performance and long-term value creation in order to strengthen Lenzing’s position as a global market leader in sustainable cellulosic fibers.” 

Based on the business performance to date and the current market outlook, the Managing Board confirms the EBITDA guidance 2025 and expects year-on-year growth in EBITDA in 2025.

ITA Master's student Janne Warnecke investigated tension differences over the fabric width in the weaving process and thereby contributed to quality assurance; ITA Bachelor's student Jasmin Roos found a basis for the development of recyclable yarns and textiles. For these developments, they were awarded the Walter Reiners Foundation's Promotion and Sustainability Prizes on 27 November. Peter D. Dornier, Chairman of the Walter Reiners Foundation, presented the awards at the Aachen-Dresden-Denkendorf International Textile Conference (ADD-ITC) in Aachen, Germany.

Thermoplastic elastomers as a recyclable alternative to elastane
The increasing importance of a circular economy for conserving resources and minimising negative environmental impacts requires innovative recycling concepts for textiles. The increasing use of elastane poses a particular challenge in textile recycling. Even small amounts of elastane cause difficulties in established recycling technologies such as thermomechanical recycling, for example by clogging filter media or decomposing into potentially toxic degradation products.

Jasmin Roos won the Sustainability Award for her bachelor's thesis on the topic: ‘Potential of thermoplastic elastomers for thermomechanical textile recycling as an alternative to elastane: Experimental evaluation of PET/TPC blends’ with prize money of €3,000.

In her thesis, Jasmin Roos, supervised by ITA scientist Ricarda Wissel, took an in-depth look at the development of sustainable solutions for recycling elastic textiles. The innovative approach aims to replace conventional, non-recyclable elastane with melt-spun yarns made from thermoplastic copolyester elastomers (TPC). This can not only improve recyclability, but also contribute to reducing environmental impact, as harmful solvents can be dispensed with in yarn production.

The main objective of her work was to evaluate the suitability of blends of TPC and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) for joint thermomechanical recycling. Blend and melt spinning tests were carried out on a laboratory and pilot scale at the ITA facilities. Jasmin Roos succeeded in producing blends of different proportions of PET and TPC, based on typical elastane proportions in textiles, and successfully processing them into yarns on a melt spinning line – a crucial aspect for closed-loop recycling. The results of her bachelor's thesis thus form a promising basis for the development of recyclable elastic yarns and textiles.

The planned acquisition of the “Barmag” Division of OC Oerlikon will create the leading system provider worldwide for natural and man-made fibers. Rieter is confident it will receive all regulatory approvals to complete the acquisition in the fourth quarter of 2025. The Rieter Group is therefore adjusting its Group structure as of January 1, 2026, to take this acquisition into account and to be able to provide an even more agile response to market challenges. 

The Machines & Systems and After Sales Divisions will be merged. Alexander Özbahadir will take over the new “Short-Staple Fiber” Division, which will be responsible for the short-staple fiber business, effective January 1, 2026. This will create synergies in sales and service activities and increase customer centricity through a geographical focus. 

Roger Albrecht will now be responsible for the “Components and Technology” Division. His mandate will be to develop pioneering technology solutions, drive innovation and achieve growth in the key components business. With this organizational change, Rieter will further expand its technology leadership and intensify its development activities between Rieter and the component companies Accotex, Bräcker, Graf, Novibra, Suessen, SSM and Temco. 

Serge Entleitner has decided to step down from the Group Executive Committee, effective December 31, 2025, and will support the company on various projects until his retirement in 2027. 

Upon successful closing of the Barmag acquisition, the “Man-Made Fiber” Division will be integrated into the Rieter Group. Georg Stausberg will continue to lead the division and report to Thomas Oetterli, CEO of Rieter. He will also take a seat on the Group Executive Committee. 

As of January 1, 2026, the Rieter Group Executive Board will comprise the following members: 

• Thomas Oetterli, Chief Executive Officer 
• Oliver Streuli, Chief Financial Officer 
• Emmanuelle Gmür, Chief Human Resources Officer 
• Alexander Özbahadir, Head of the “Short-Staple Fiber” Division 
• Georg Stausberg (after closing), Head of the “Man-Made Fiber” Division 
• Roger Albrecht, Head of the “Components and Technology” Division 

Rieter is responding to the persistently weak market situation with further cost-cutting measures by adjusting production capacities, simplifying supply chains, and streamlining overhead functions. The estimated one-off costs of around CHF 30 to 35 million will result in annual savings of just under CHF 30 million.