People in composites: August 2025

Dieffenbacher announces new additions to management board, future CTO

Stefan Zipf, head of Dieffenbacher’s Wood Business Unit, and soon-to-be CTO.

On Aug. 1, German machine and plant manufacturer Dieffenbacher (Eppingen, Germany) appointed Stefan Zipf, head of the Wood Business Unit, to the company’s management board. On March 1, 2026, Zipf will also transition into the role of chief technical officer (CTO) while remaining his current position in the Wood Business Unit.

Lothar Fischer, who has served as CTO since March 2018, will continue at Dieffenbacher on a project and advisory basis starting March 1. “Lothar has achieved a lot in his tenure as CTO. He has strengthened our supply chains and further expanded our global production network,” says Dieffenbacher CEO Christian Dieffenbacher. “We thank him for his commitment and tireless efforts over the past 8 years and look forward to our continued collaboration.”

Lothar Fischer.

Zipf has worked at Dieffenbacher for 28 years. During this time, he has held positions ranging from dual mechanical engineering student to head of the Wood Business Unit, steadily taking on more responsibility. “Adding Stefan to the management board furthers the planned, smooth generational change in our company’s leadership,” says Dieffenbacher. “On behalf of the entire Dieffenbacher team, I wish him every success in his new role and look forward to the momentum he’ll bring to the further development of our company.”

Metsä Spring recruits director of business development to strengthen Kuura team

Anna-Kaisa Huttunen, Metsä Group director of business development.

Master of Art and Design Anna-Kaisa Huttunen has been appointed to the position of director of business development at Metsä Group (Helsinki, Finland). Her duties include leading the work to form business and market entry plans for Metsä Group’s Kuura textile fiber opportunity.

Huttunen has extensive experience in the textile industry. She graduated as a fashion designer in the 1990s from the University of Art and Design, now Aalto University. Her career began with victories in design competitions and working in Paris in the service of the French company Lacoste.

Over the years, she has worked not only in France, but also in Austria, the Middle East and China with fashion, workwear, technical textiles and wearable technology. She has led design teams and worked in teaching positions.

In 2007, Huttunen returned to Finland and has since worked in the development and management of international business, first in the textile rental business, and later in 2022 at a company specializing in textile fiber recycling.

“The entire global value chain of textile production, from fiber to clothing and back to fiber through recycling, has become familiar to me during my career,” says Huttunen. She has been following the development of the Kuura textile fiber for a long time and sees significant potential in it. “Kuura is a very promising innovation in the global market. Its strengths include product quality, production energy efficiency and strong environmental values. The fashion and textile industry has given me a lot, and it is motivating to get to commercialize a solution that genuinely benefits the industry.”

Kuura’s current phase, expected to conclude after summer 2026, includes four projects: pre-engineering of the potential commercial-scale plant, further development of the Kuura production process, collaborating with clients for market entry and the financial planning. “Anna-Kaisa’s role is specifically aimed at helping with the third project, collaborating with clients on the potential market entry,” says Niklas von Weymarn, CEO of Metsä Spring.

Arris Composites appoints Dolby Laboratories to board of directors 

Arris Composites (Berkeley, Calif., U.S.) has appointed Kevin Yeaman, president and CEO of Dolby Laboratories (San Francisco, Calif., U.S.), to its board of directors. Yeaman brings deep expertise in introducing and scaling innovative technologies, pioneering licensing models and growing a globally recognized brand.

Under Yeaman’s leadership, Dolby’s technology has become essential to billions of consumer electronics devices, including TVs, mobile devices, cars and PCs. His experience directly parallels Arris’ strategy to scale its technology and composite material innovation across mass-market industries through licensing and strategic partnerships.

Kevin Yeaman.

“Dolby’s journey — from manufacturing hardware to becoming a dominant force in technology licensing built on powerful IP — is a blueprint for the path we envision at Arris,” says Riley Reese, CEO of Arris Composites. “Kevin’s experience navigating a licensing business and building a world-class brand will be invaluable as we empower the world’s leading companies to realize the full potential of our composite technology.”

Founded in 2017, the Arris team created Additive Molding via the development of patented software, materials and high-volume production methods to create advanced composite parts that are lighter, stronger and more sustainable. The company’s strategy involves enabling creators with the Arris technology, mirroring Dolby’s successful model of providing tools to content creators to drive ecosystem-wide adoption.

Vestas appointment succeeds current chief technology and operations officer 

Vestas Wind Systems A/S (Aarhus, Denmark) is announces that Felix Henseler will succeed Anders Nielsen as chief technology and operations officer (CTOO) on Sept. 1, 2025. Nielsen is retiring from day-to-day management by the end of 2025 after 6 years as CTOO, where he has played a leading role in the turnaround of Vestas’ Power Solutions segment as well as the continued industrialization and standardization of Vestas’ technology and manufacturing.

Henseler most recently served as CEO of ZF Wind Power and will join Vestas immediately. As CTOO, he will have full focus on ramping up both onshore and offshore manufacturing and strengthening Vestas’ offering within wind energy solutions and industry maturity. To ensure a smooth transition, Nielsen will continue as an advisor to Felix Henseler and Vestas until end of 2025.

“The energy industry is impacted by the geopolitical shifts we’re seeing across the globe, and our ability to become even more efficient, competitive and scalable will be decisive to ensure affordable, secure and sustainable energy across the globe,” says Henseler. “With a long career within engineering and manufacturing, efficiency, competitiveness and scalability will be my focus. I’m honored to become part of Vestas and meet my many new colleagues who are driving these efforts and ensuring we deliver on our customer promises.”

According to Nielsen, “The last 6 years have been some of the most eventful and valuable of my career where we have faced many challenges and I’m proud of what we have achieved together during that period. I want to thank my many Vestas colleagues, including everyone in executive management, for the support and valuable discussions through ups and downs. I look forward to working with Felix and the rest of the technology and operations management team to ensure a smooth transition.”

Vestas’ Technology and Manufacturing organizations were merged into Vestas Technology and Operations in Q3 2024 with a clear objective to increase industrialization within wind energy and strengthen Vestas’ end-to-end approach to delivery of wind energy solutions. Vestas seeks to continue this strategic evolution with the appointment of Henseler. He will be part of Vestas executive management and report directly to Henrik Andersen.

Teijin Aramid announces CEO leadership transition

Taiichi Machida (left) and Peter ter Horst (right).

Teijin Aramid (Arnhem, Netherlands) announces that Peter ter Horst will step down as CEO at the end of 2025 after 19 years of dedicated service. Effective Oct. 1, 2025, Taiichi Machida will take over as CEO.

Ter Horst has played a pivotal role in guiding Teijin Aramid through both prosperous and challenging times. Over the past 5.5 years as CEO, he led the company through the COVID-19 pandemic, a major fire at the Delfzijl site and the current organizational transformation aimed at strengthening the company’s future resilience. His leadership has been marked by a deep commitment to the company’s people, values and long-term vision.

Te Horst will remain with Teijin Aramid until December 2025 to support a smooth transition.

HydroGraph adds growth strategist and defense industry expert to board of directors

HydroGraph Clean Power Inc. (Vancouver, BC, Canada) announces the appointment of technology executive, military veteran and leadership coach Cordell Bennigson to its board of directors.

Bennigson is currently CEO of R2 Wireless U.S., leading the expansion of spectrum sensing and electromagnetic dominance solutions for defense and critical infrastructure needs. He is also a leadership instructor, executive coach and operating advisor with Echelon Front, which trains and advises Fortune 100 and global company teams to grow, adapt and perform at their best. A former U.S. Marine Corps officer and CEO of multiple private equity-backed companies, Bennigson holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

“Cordell brings strong business development experience in the technology sector along with the expertise of an advisor who has led multiple companies through growth and transformation,” HydroGraph’s Kjirstin Breure, who was named board chair in June 2025, says. “His military background has trained him to take an action-oriented approach and provides HydroGraph with critical insights into that sector as we continue to open new opportunities in multiple end markets. We are excited to have him on the board.”