October 4, 2009 (Ried im Innkreis, Austria) – Franz Föttinger, previously General Manager Nordic, is the new CEO at Fischer, the Austrian manufacturer of sporting goods. Working alongside him, Günter Kitzmüller remains CFO, responsible for commercial matters. Föttinger has held various posts at the company over the last ten years. Most recently the former Austrian Ski Federation athlete headed the successful Nordic division at Fischer and was also an authorized company signatory. It was under his leadership that Fischer secured and extended its position as the global market leader in cross country skiing. In his new capacity he will be responsible for Marketing / Sales and Technology.

“As a passionate Alpine and Nordic skier I am of course really looking forward to this new challenge,” says the 40-year-old. “I also regard the owners’ decision to appoint somebody from within the company as a mark of confidence in the dedicated team in Ried. We shall now pursue our chosen course with renewed vigour and position Fischer as the high-tech brand among ski manufacturers. This focus is in our genetic make-up and, besides many top products, has also produced the two associated spin-offs FACC and BSCT GmbH. We will be concentrating on our traditional core areas in winter sports hardware and aim to rank among the best in the branch.”

The previous CEO Marketing / Sales and Technology, Jan-Hein Habes, is leaving the company by mutual agreement. This decision was reached because the two parties had different approaches regarding the future strategic orientation of the company.

There has also been a change at the head of the supervisory board: Florian Keiper-Knorr, the long-standing chairman of the supervisory board, has been replaced by the younger Dr Gerhard Wüest.