CEO succession at Simon Hegele - Stefan Ulrich hands over the leadership to Michael Wahl and Mike Winter

Simon Hegele, a leading contract logistics provider and member of the NX Group (“Nippon Express”), has announced a change in its senior management. Stefan Ulrich will step down from operational management on September 30, 2025, and will continue to support the company in an advisory capacity until the end of the year. His successors as CEOs will be Mike Winter and Michael Wahl, long-standing managing directors of the Simon Hegele Group, who will take over jointly as Co-CEOs on October 1, 2025. With this decision, the company is sending a clear signal of continuity, reliability, and strategic development – especially with regard to its partnership-based cooperation with its customers.

Stefan Ulrich comments on the succession: "Exactly ten years after joining Simon Hegele and successfully accompanying the takeover by Nippon Express, I have decided to hand over the operational management of the group. The shareholder representatives and I have prepared very carefully for this day. I have worked very successfully with Michael Wahl and Mike Winter for ten years. Now is the ideal time to hand over to the right successors: the commitment of both colleagues, their expertise, and their successes in the Simon Hegele Group as top managers speak for themselves, and we are confident that they will continue to develop the group successfully in this new constellation together with our great team."

Mike Winter brings with him extensive expertise in the field of logistics. His many years of experience on the OEM side in production logistics and his 25 years in various roles within the Simon Hegele Group – culminating in his position as managing director and shareholder – underscore his in-depth knowledge of the industry. Since 2014, he has been primarily responsible for Simon Hegele's Healthcare EMEA business. In this role, he has tripled sales and will reach the €200 million mark this year. As Co-CEO, Mike Winter will assume global responsibility for the Simon Hegele Group's healthcare business. "My goal is to further strengthen our position as an international service partner in the field of large medical devices together with my international colleagues and to scale globally in close cooperation with Nippon Express. In doing so, we will continuously expand our comprehensive service portfolio, which goes far beyond traditional Contract logistics, in order to optimally support partners worldwide in their growth and development goals," says Mike Winter, describing his goals.

Michael Wahl has been part of the Simon Hegele Group for almost twelve years and, during this time, has played a decisive role in shaping the successful development of the company as Commercial Director and, most recently, as CFO and Managing Director. His in-depth commercial expertise and deep understanding of operational processes in Contract logistics make him a strong driving force for efficient corporate management and successful business expansion. In his new role, Michael Wahl will assume overall responsibility for the commercial disciplines and the logistics business in the industry, retail, and pharma sectors. Michael Wahl adds: “For me, the appointment as Co-CEO is not only a personal responsibility, but above all an opportunity to actively shape strategic business partnerships.” I am particularly looking forward to working with my outstanding colleagues in sales and operations to further expand the partnership with Nippon Express and make targeted use of it to develop innovative solutions for our customers along the entire value chain. Our employees are the cornerstone of our success – today and in the future. With their commitment and expertise, we are creating the basis for further expanding and strengthening our market position.

The three managers played a key role in ushering in a new era for the Simon Hegele Group six months ago with the sale to the Nippon Express Group. The post-merger phase has been extremely successful since then, and in addition to many administrative activities, more and more customers of both groups are benefiting from the new constellation.