With heartfelt appreciation and gratitude, the Board of Bechtle AG has announced the retirement of two of its Executive Vice Presidents at the end of the year. Gerhard Marz has been part of the Bechtle family for 26 years and can look back on many notable achievements. As Managing Director, then Board member and EVP for the Public Sector, he contributed greatly to Bechtle’s success. When Gerhard Marz first joined Bechtle, he also kicked off Bechtle’s international journey, taking a leading role in the acquisition and subsequent integration of the company, which, to this day, is a very successful player in IT e-commerce under the flag of Bechtle direct Switzerland. He then took the helm of Bechtle Mannheim, then Darmstadt before settling down in Bechtle’s public sector business. Gerhard Marz also injected his experience into other central units and projects, e.g. as Head of Human Resources and during the restructuring of Bechtle’s Swiss system house business. 

“It’s not just Gerhard Marz’ irrepressible energy that has characterised his career, but also his close relationship with Bechtle that has helped him go the extra mile time and time again. In particular the phenomenal success of the Public Sector division over the past two decades is the result of his exceptional commitment. We are very grateful for Gerhard’s outstanding contributions to our company,” says Michael Guschlbauer, COO, IT System House & Managed Service, Bechtle AG. 

Gerhard Marz will be succeeded by Steven Handgrätinger effective on 1 January 2022. The former head of Public Sector has been with Bechtle for almost 17 years and has excellent contacts in the market. Gerhard Marz and Steven Handgrätinger have worked very closely and successfully together over the past few years. With revenues in excess of 2 billion euros, Bechtle’s public-sector business across Europe accounts for around a third of the group’s revenues.

Changeover in the Cluster North/East division.
Elmar König, who as EVP oversaw Bechtle’s IT system houses in the northern and eastern regions, will also retire at the end of the year. He first joined Bechtle in April 2005 as managing director of Bechtle Hamburg, developing the site into one of the Bechtle Group’s largest system houses with a broad customer base spanning both enterprise and public-sector clients. In 2010, he was appointed Executive Vice President for the Cluster North/East, expanding his remit to include seven Bechtle companies operating at 14 locations and counting some 1,200 employees.

“Elmar König is one of the outstanding leaders I have had the privilege to work with. A very unique and special person to whom I am very grateful and whose contribution to the Bechtle story I will certainly miss. To be able to fill this position from within our own ranks is fantastic and once again testifies to the great prospects and development opportunities that Bechtle offers”, says Michael Guschlbauer.

As of 1 January 2022, Elmar König will be succeeded by Frank Diers, whose career at Bechtle began in 2010. He first joined the company as service director, before taking on the role of managing director at Bechtle Hamburg. Following a spell as CIO in an industrial organisation, he returned to Bechtle on 1 January 2020 to become managing director of Bechtle Bielefeld. 

Gerhard Marz and Elmar König will continue to work with and mentor their successors for a transition period.