Kai Althoff succeeds Thomas Wimmer as head of BVL

Generational change at BVL: After 25 years of service to BVL, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Wimmer has handed over the position of Chairman of the Board to Kai Althoff (CEO 4flow SE). Althoff was newly elected as Deputy Chairman of the BVL Executive Board by the board together with Ilse Henne (Board Member thyssenkrupp AG, CEO thyssenkrupp Materials Services).

(Bremen) Alongside Thomas Wimmer, Frank Dreeke (Chairman of the Board BLG Logistics Group) has also stepped down from the executive board, who will also leave the BVL board at the end of the year as part of the regular rotation. Ensuring continuity in the executive board is Treasurer Stephan Wohler (Board Edeka Minden-Hannover).

Thomas Wimmer became a member of BVL in 1985 and joined the management in 1999. Since 2016, he has also been a member of the board and became the full-time chairman in 2020. With this change, BVL now has a voluntary chairman again; the full-time management in Bremen consists of Silke Fischer and Christoph Meyer. The BVL executive board has now returned to the proven combination of three economic sectors: Industry (Ilse Henne), Trade (Stephan Wohler), and Services and IT (Kai Althoff). Yesterday, the new executive board members and Thomas Wimmer met at the thyssenkrupp headquarters in Essen for a photo opportunity.

Kai Althoff: “It is a great honor to take on this position. BVL is the largest living network of logistics and supply chain professionals globally. The opportunities that arise from this represent a real competitive advantage for the location Germany. To make the most of this, we must also develop BVL as quickly as our entire industry does. I want to contribute even more to this in the future.”

Ilse Henne: “I am pleased about my election as Deputy Chairwoman of the Board. Thomas Wimmer and Frank Dreeke have significantly shaped and sustainably strengthened BVL with their work. We want to build on this foundation and contribute together to the further development of the logistics industry.”

Frank Dreeke: “The changes at the top of BVL mark the beginning of a new era – and thus a great piece of news. I am particularly pleased about the decision for Ilse Henne as the first woman on the leadership team. I wish the entire leadership team good fortune for the future success of BVL.”

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Thomas Wimmer: “I thank ‘my’ executive board, Stephan Wohler and Frank Dreeke, my fellow board members, the full-time staff in the office, and all BVL members, whose great voluntary commitment supports this association. It has been and is an honor for me to serve BVL.”

The official farewell to Thomas Wimmer will take place during the BVL Supply Chain CX in October in Berlin.

Many years of experience in logistics and supply chain

Kai Althoff is the Chairman of the Board (CEO) of 4flow, a provider of logistics consulting, logistics software, and 4PL services. In 2000, Kai Althoff co-founded 4flow and until 2020 was responsible for the company’s global operations as Chief Operating Officer (COO). Kai Althoff has developed 4flow into a multiple award-winning global supply chain partner.

Ilse Henne has been with thyssenkrupp since 1999 and has since served as CEO of several international companies within the group. Since 2019, she has been a member of the board and Chief Transformation Officer of thyssenkrupp Materials Services, and in 2024 she became a member of the board of thyssenkrupp AG. Since June 7, 2024, Ilse Henne has additionally taken on the role of CEO of thyssenkrupp Materials Services.

Photo: © BVL / Image caption (l. to r.): Kai Althoff, Ilse Henne, and Thomas Wimmer