Sabine Busse succeeds Daniel Hager as CEO

• Hager Group announces succession at the helm of the company

• Daniel Hager, part of the third generation of the owner family, hands over operational leadership after 15 successful years

• Sabine Busse is appointed Group CEO. She brings extensive international leadership experience in the energy, electrical and automation sector

• Before the end of the year, Daniel Hager will assume Chairmanship of the Supervisory Board 

The Supervisory Board of Hager Group has appointed Sabine Busse as Chief Executive Officer following an intensive selection process. She will join Hager Group on August 28, 2023 and succeed long-time CEO Daniel Hager. By December 2023, Daniel Hager will take over the position of Chairman of the Supervisory Board. Hager Group initiated the CEO search after Daniel Hager, who has been leading the company for 15 years, announced his intention to hand over the operational leadership and transition to the Supervisory Board.

Sabine Busse (46), a German and Swiss citizen is a highly experienced international executive in the energy, electrical and automation sector. She has been a Corporate Officer of Hitachi Ltd (based in Tokyo) and as Chief Marketing Officer was responsible for leading Hitachi’s group-wide global Marketing & Sales transformation. Until 2021, she was the Division President for ABB’s global Measurement & Analytics business and prior Senior Vice President of the ABB Group Head Marketing & Sales (based in Zurich). Before joining ABB, she held various senior customer and service-related leadership positions with Alstom in Baden, Paris and Kuala Lumpur and started her career with Siemens in Munich. Sabine Busse holds a Magister Artium from the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich.

"Sabine Busse's extensive international and intercultural experience has left a strong impression on us," stated Günther Fleig, Chairman of the Supervisory Board at Hager Group. “Her contagious energy and remarkable team player skills have convinced us. She will inspire and motivate the management and workforce of Hager Group.”

CEO Daniel Hager declared, "In my view, Sabine Busse is an ideal match for a thriving international company like Hager Group. She has deep knowledge of the energy and electrical industry and has demonstrated throughout her career that she can build service-oriented companies and achieve transformational successes with strong leadership.” And he continues, “Sabine Busse has a profound understanding of customer expectations in the 21st century and our rapidly changing market environment. I firmly believe that with her leadership and ability to reach out to people she will not only continue our past successes, but also bring Hager Group additional impulses on our path to build tomorrows electrical world.”

For Hager Group, founded in 1955, it is not the first time that a non-family member leads the company. From 1988 to 2008, Alfred Bricka successfully led the family business, significantly driving the group's impressive development during those years.

CEO-designate Sabine Busse said: "I am excited to join the Hager Group and grateful to be selected to lead a family-owned business with a strong team, great values, committed for the long-term, and an outstanding track record. Our industry has a key role to play to contribute in the transition to a sustainable tomorrow. I am looking forward to engaging with all of Hager’s employees, customers and partners and jointly building a more digitized and electrified future through innovation and collaboration.” 

Hager Group plans a gradual transition of responsibilities in the second half of the year. Sabine Busse will begin her work in Blieskastel at the end of August and jointly lead the company with Daniel Hager for three months. By 1st December, with Daniel Hager's transition to the Chairmanship of the Supervisory Board, she will assume full responsibility in leading the company.