Marianne Gras has been named Siempelkamp Group CPO and a new member of the Management Board, placing global HR strategy at the centre of the wood-based panel machinery leader’s next phase of growth. Effective 1 July 2026, Gras assumes responsibility for the people, culture, skills and organisational structures that support Siempelkamp’s profitability, innovation and long-term industrial resilience. The appointment is especially relevant for the woodworking industry, where plant engineering, automation, service capability and specialist talent remain decisive factors in customer delivery and future competitiveness.
Board-Level HR Move Signals Strategic Shift
Siempelkamp GmbH & Co. KG has elevated Marianne Gras to Chief People Officer at a time when technology-led manufacturers face rising pressure to secure engineering skills, digital capabilities and international workforce alignment. The company confirmed that Gras will also join the Siempelkamp Group’s Management Board, giving HR a direct voice in strategic decision-making.
Gras brings an academic background in Industrial and Organisational Psychology. She joined Siempelkamp in 2023 and has since led human resources development. In 2024, she expanded her responsibilities by taking over people development and recruiting. Her new remit now covers the Group’s global human resources strategy.
Why It Matters to Woodworking
For the woodworking and wood-based panel sectors, the move is more than a boardroom appointment. Siempelkamp is a global technology supplier with activities in machine and plant engineering, foundry technology, and engineering and services. Its machine and plant engineering business supplies press lines and complete plants for the wood-based panel industry, including systems used in particleboard, MDF, OSB, LVL and other engineered wood applications.
This means HR strategy directly affects project execution, commissioning, service, digitalisation and customer support. Large-scale wood-based panel projects depend on engineers, automation specialists, process experts and service teams who can work across markets and production environments. Siempelkamp’s official wood-based panel plant portfolio covers the full production process, from wood preparation and size reduction to drying, gluing, forming, press lines and coating.
People and Culture as Growth Drivers
In her new role, Gras will shape the structures, processes, culture and skills that support Siempelkamp’s growth and innovation. She described HR as “a global value driver”, framing the function as a business partner, transformation driver and guardian of corporate culture.
That approach reflects a wider shift in industrial manufacturing. Companies serving the wood panel, furniture supply chain and engineered materials sectors are no longer competing on machinery alone. They also compete on knowledge transfer, lifecycle service, rapid problem-solving and the ability to support customers through digital and sustainability-driven transitions.
For Siempelkamp, this focus sits close to its technical identity. The company states that it develops individual plant concepts for customers to support safe and economical wood-based panel production. It also highlights resource-saving raw material use, alternative raw material concepts and energy-efficient technologies as current focal points.
Succession from Stefan Ziemes
Gras succeeds Stefan Ziemes as CPO and Management Board member. Ziemes stepped down from the board on 30 June 2026 but will continue to support the company in an advisory capacity. Siempelkamp noted that Ziemes contributed to the Group for more than 25 years.
CEO Martin Scherrer said Gras’s role is built on three HR principles: global orientation with local adaptation, shaping the workplace of tomorrow, and empowering employees to realise their potential. This framework gives the appointment a clear operational meaning. It links workforce development to international customer proximity, future skills and internal transformation.
Industry Talent Becomes a Competitive Asset
Siempelkamp’s leadership change comes as wood-based panel producers continue to invest in automation, plant efficiency, modernisation and sustainable raw material use. The company’s ContiRoll technology is described by Siempelkamp Logistics & Service as suitable for panel-type wood-based materials, with more than 320 references in continuous presses for wood-based products.
For customers, such technology platforms require stable expertise behind the machinery. Recruitment, people development and knowledge retention can influence installation quality, uptime, retrofit performance and after-sales support. Gras’s appointment therefore strengthens a strategic layer that woodworking professionals increasingly recognise as essential to industrial performance.
The appointment of Marianne Gras as Siempelkamp Group CPO gives the wood-based panel machinery leader a stronger global HR strategy at Management Board level. For the woodworking industry, the move underlines a clear message: people, skills and culture are now central to machinery innovation, plant performance and long-term competitiveness.
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