The supervisory board of OSRAM Licht  has appointed Olaf Berlien as new chief executive officer (CEO). Berlien, 52, will take over his new function in January 2015. At the same time, Wolfgang Dehen will leave the company at his own request and by amicable agreement.

“Wolfgang Dehen has managed Osram’s stock market listing extraordinary well and has also navigated the company through a so far unparalleled technological change in the lighting industry. He has positioned Osram for a successful future. We would like to express our great thanks and deep appreciation,” said Peter Bauer, chairman of the supervisory board.

Osram's new CEO Olaf Berlien. (Osram/LEDinside)

Berlien is currently CEO of M+W Group GmbH. Before that, he served as CEO of the Technologies division at Essen-based ThyssenKrupp AG. This division included, among others, the elevator and automotive segments as well as the engineering activities. Under Berlien’s supervision, the division became the company’s most successful business unit. Prior to this, Berlien was member of the managing board at Carl Zeiss AG from 1996 until 2002. He started his career at IBM and holds a doctorate degree from the Technical University Berlin.

“With Olaf Berlien, we were able to recruit a manager and strategist who has a comprehensive expertise with regard to rapidly changing technological markets. Therefore, the supervisory board unanimously believes that he is the ideal candidate to lead Osram into a successful future,” said Peter Bauer. Due to his experience, Berlien will also take over the duties of a chief technology officer.

The German lighting manufacturer recent financial results for 3Q14 showed positive growth, especially in the LED sector which reported an increase of 17% compared to the previous year.