FEST GmbH sets course for orderly management change
Steffen Bäuerle will join FEST GmbH as the new Co-Managing Director on May 1, 2026. Together with Matthias Authenrieth, he will initially manage the company’s business before taking over the position of sole CEO on August 1, 2026. FEST GmbH is thus making early arrangements for the succession of Matthias Authenrieth, who will retire from active management in the course of a gradual transition.
With Steffen Bäuerle, FEST GmbH has gained an experienced manager with extensive industrial and hydrogen expertise. After studying industrial engineering, he worked for Mercedes-Benz and Daimler for many years, including in a management role. In recent years, he was CEO and co-founder of a company in the field of fuel cell technology. “With many years of industry experience and strong hydrogen expertise, Steffen Bäuerle brings precisely the strategic and operational expertise that will strengthen FEST in the next growth phase,” says Mortimer Glinz, CEO and shareholder of the Schmidt Kranz Group, to which FEST GmbH belongs. “At the same time, we would like to thank Matthias Authenrieth for his great commitment over the past few years. He has shaped the development of FEST with great commitment and provided important impetus for the positioning of the company in the hydrogen market.”
Authenrieth remains firmly connected
Matthias Authenrieth has been at the helm of FEST GmbH for eight years and has been instrumental in driving the company’s development during this time. Under his leadership, FEST has undergone a rapid transformation to become one of the leading manufacturers and suppliers of hydrogen technology in Germany and, in combination with the traditional business area of process automation, has achieved impressive corporate growth. The significant increase in space requirements in the course of this successful development led to the construction and occupation of the new company headquarters in Gerhard-Weule-Straße and represents a further milestone in the development of FEST GmbH. Matthias Authenrieth will remain closely associated with FEST GmbH and the Schmidt Kranz Group even after handing over the management of the company. “It was and is a great pleasure for me to be able to help shape the development of FEST. Together with our team, we have strategically developed the company over the past few years and laid important foundations for the future,” says Matthias Authenrieth, current Managing Director of FEST GmbH. “I am delighted to have an experienced successor on board in Steffen Bäuerle, with whom we will shape the transition together over the coming months.”
New impetus for the future
The new Managing Director Steffen Bäuerle is looking forward to his new role with great anticipation: “FEST GmbH has a strong technological basis, a high level of expertise in electrolysis and the best prerequisites for actively shaping the transformation towards a sustainable hydrogen economy. The hydrogen market offers great opportunities and I look forward to working with the entire Schmidt Kranz Group to drive forward the next development steps in a targeted manner. My focus is on profitable growth, sustainable profitability and the further expansion of our strong market position.”
Orderly transition at the top of the company
By arranging the succession at an early stage, FEST GmbH is focusing on continuity and future orientation. As a manufacturer of high-performance electrolyzers and provider of integrated hydrogen solutions, the company is positioned in a dynamically growing market environment. Together with its sister companies within the Schmidt Kranz Group, FEST intends to further expand its role as a technology partner for the climate-friendly hydrogen economy.
