To enable a seamless succession, Dr. Grandke had notified both DLG's President Hubertus Paetow and the Chair of the Supervisory Board Carl-Albrecht Bartmer about his professional plans in advance. At DLG's main committee meeting on 5 September 2022, the President and Chair will be proposing that Dr. Lothar Hövelmann and Freya von Czettritz take on new dual management roles, in close cooperation with DLG's President and the Board of Directors.

Dr. Lothar Hövelmann, in addition to his responsibilities as Managing Director of Competence Center Agriculture, will be appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the DLG e.V.  Freya von Czettritz will be appointed CEO of the DLG-Holding GmbH and will be responsible for the business activities of the DLG. A successor taking on the current responsibilities of Freya von Czettritz will be identified shortly. Until then, she will continue her duties as Division Manager und Project Manager of Agritechnica. Dr. Grandke will be shaping the transition together with Freya von Czettritz and Dr. Lothar Hövelmann.

“Dr. Grandke has significantly shaped the DLG for more than 24 years. With high personal commitment, profound professional knowledge and enthusiasm coupled with business acumen, he has driven the DLG in a positive direction and, together with DLG's experts and members, he has successfully designed its strategic path and positioning. We regret his decision and wish him all the best for the future,” says Carl-Albrecht Bartmer, Chair of DLG's Supervisory Board.

“Through his efforts, Dr. Grandke has developed the DLG professionally and has expanded its businesses. This enabled us to come through the Corona pandemic in good shape and has put us in an excellent position for the future. The exhibitions, congresses, conferences and food tests that are taking place again will allow the DLG both to return to normality and to take advantage of opportunities that are now emerging. I would like to thank Dr. Reinhard Grandke for his far-sighted actions, even in difficult times,” says DLG President Hubertus Paetow

“With Dr. Lothar Hövelmann and Freya von Czettritz, we have gained two excellent DLG executives who will not only ensure the continuity of DLG's work but also shape the future," adds Paetow.

Bios - Dr. Lothar Hövelmann and Freya von Czettritz:

•  Dr. Lothar Hövelmann began his career with an agricultural apprenticeship which was followed by a degree in agricultural sciences majoring in crop production with a thesis on the processing of recultivated soils at the University of Bonn.  Following completion of an agricultural consulting project at STEAG, Dr. Hövelmann spent four years as head of the R&D projects on biowaste composting and sewage sludge utilization at an agricultural and environmental technology company. Joining the DLG in 1998 as project manager for crop production five years later he was appointed head of the Sustainable Agriculture Department. In 2008, he assumed the position of Managing Director of Competence Center Agriculture and in 2015 was appointed to DLG's Board of Directors. In these positions, Dr. Hövelmann played a decisive role in developing the DLG into the most important professional organization for agriculture, agribusiness and the food value chain in Germany, as well as strengthening cooperation with international industry networks.
  
  
• Freya von Czettritz has been involved in agricultural processes from an early age through her parents' seed breeding business. With a degree in business administration, she joined the DLG in 2008 and has since combined her two areas of expertise, agriculture with trade fairs as business platforms. Since 2009, she has been responsible for Agritechnica, the world's leading trade fair for agricultural machinery. She has since developed the trade fair into the leading international platform for innovative agricultural technology and modern crop production. Since 2016 she has headed DLG's Division  of Trade Fairs Plant Production and Field Operations with the international flagship brands Agritechnica, DLG Feldtage, DLG Waldtage, PotatoEurope and Agritechnica Asia. Thanks to her extensive international agricultural network and her experience in agribusiness, she will be driving the professionalization of the DLG forward and bridging agriculture and food internationally.