Two men in suits fist bumping in front of a building. Josef Köcher new CEO. image: Diehl Aviation

Press Release: Josef Köcher to be new CEO of Diehl Aviation

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Press Release hub banner blue with title in red white and blueRainer von Borstel, Diehl Aviation’s CEO since 2010, will enter retirement at the end of April 2021, handing over the leadership of the organization to Josef Köcher, who joined Diehl Aviation as COO in June 2020.

Köcher will remain COO, taking on the CEO tasks in addition to his previous responsibilities. He will also succeed von Borstel as a member of the Diehl Executive Board.

During the eleven years at the helm of Diehl Aviation, von Borstel oversaw a successful growth of the company, integrating several industrial units over the years and managing critical stages of Diehl Aviation’s contribution to major new commercial aircraft programmes such as the Airbus A350 XWB and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Also during von Borstel’s leadership, Diehl Aviation multiplied its business volume and grew to become a company with around 1.5 billion Euro annual turnover. At the same time, Diehl Aviation increased its global presence for the purpose of customer proximity in markets around the world, opening new stations for example in Charleston, South Carolina (USA). All this ensured that Diehl Aviation consolidated its position as a leading supplier in the aerospace industry worldwide over the last decade.

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Most recently, von Borstel launched a product innovation and restructuring project in response to the global crisis caused by the Corona pandemic. With these corporate restructuring measures well under way, von Borstel is now going to hand over the leadership of Diehl Aviation to Josef Köcher, who will lead Diehl Aviation into the new era of a post-Corona environment.

Before joining Diehl Aviation, Köcher spent two decades on several management positions at Airbus and ArianeGroup, most recently as Head of Production Aircraft & MRO Germany and Head of Site at Airbus Defence and Space in Manching. He holds degrees in Aerospace Engineering and Business Administration.

Diehl Aviation is a division of Diehl Stiftung & Co. KG and combines all aviation activities of Diehl Group under one roof. In the aviation industry, Diehl Aviation – including Diehl Aerospace (a joint venture with Thales) is a leading system supplier of aircraft system and cabin solutions. Diehl Aviation currently has around 5,500 employees. Its clients include leading aircraft manufacturers Airbus (both airplanes and helicopters), Boeing, Bombardier and Embraer, as well as airlines and operators of commercial and business aircraft.