Koenig & Bauer’s head of the paper and packaging sheetfed division Markus Weiss is to leave the business at the end of the year. He will be pursuing entrepreneurial opportunities after a long career on the supply side of the industry. Before joining Koenig & Bauer in February 2025, Weiss had spent more than 18 years at HP, rising to general manager EMEA for industrial printing direct business.
His position will be filled by Christian Steinmassl. Steinmassl joined the group management team in December 2024, having spent two years as executive vice president packaging for Heidelberg. Prior to that Steinmassl had spent 17 years in the paper industry with Voit.
At Koenig & Bauer he has had oversight of the digital and webfed, vision & protection and Kyana divisions. He has also been in charge of global procurement and the production network.
In the last two years Weiss had been charged with achieving certain strategic goals within the overall Impact strategy for the press manufacturer. This has been about improving group performance and finding growth.
Koenig & Bauer CEO Stephen Kimmich says: “We deeply regret his decision, yet respect his wish for a new professional direction. We extend our warmest thanks to him for his outstanding dedication, team oriented leadership, and exemplary handover. “Together with our global teams, Markus Weiss has led the segment with clear strategic foresight, high commitment, and a strong customer focus. For his future path, both professionally and personally, we wish him continued success and all the very best.”
Outgoing and incoming leaders will work alongside each other over the next two months to keep the transition as smooth as possible with no negative impact on customer projects, strategic initiatives and operational processes.
Weiss says: “I look back with pride on what we have achieved as a team despite challenging market conditions. The course has been set for the next phase of transformation under Impact, and important momentum has been established in the market. My thanks go to our customers for their trust and to the entire workforce for their fantastic dedication. My focus is now on ensuring a seamless handover to Christian Steinmassl, with whom I share a relationship based on trust.”
That trust extends to Kimmich, who says: “With Christian Steinmassl, we have an experienced industry leader who is anchored within the group and is now taking responsibility for our core business.
“His appointment guarantees continuity as we pursue our Impact strategic framework and systematically enhance both the segment’s competitiveness and sustainable earnings power.”
