SKZ focuses on inner strength: Management comprehensively restructured
Effective January 1, 2026, the management of the SKZ Plastics Center has been reorganized. SKZ CEO Prof. Dr.-Ing. Martin Bastian is responding to the significantly increased importance of SKZ in the market.
The newly appointed management team at SKZ (from left): Dr. Benjamin Baudrit, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Martin Bastian, Dr. Thomas Hochrein, and Dr. Giovanni Schober. (Photo: Luca Hoffmannbeck, SKZ)
Long-standing executives take on key responsibilities
Dr. Thomas Hochrein, previously managing director of SKZ – KFE gGmbH (education and research division) and SKZ – Testing GmbH (product certification, monitoring, and testing division), is taking over as managing director of SKZ-Holding FSKZ e. V. with immediate effect. The company was previously managed by Prof. Dr. Martin Bastian. While Hochrein will continue to serve as managing director of SKZ – Testing GmbH, he is handing over responsibility for SKZ – KFE gGmbH entirely to his former deputy, Dr. Benjamin Baudrit.
Martin Bastian will focus entirely on his duties as chairman of the SKZ executive board in the future. Dipl.-Ing. Robert Schmitt will continue to manage the business of SKZ–Cert GmbH and remain responsible for the management system certification business area.
Dr. Giovanni Schober, previously Head of Customer and Project Management at SKZ – Testing GmbH and with extensive experience as a division manager in research, is joining the management team. In future, he will support Hochrein as managing director in the field of product certification, monitoring, and testing.
“Responsibility for the management of SKZ-Holding FSKZ e. V. will be transferred to Dr. Thomas Hochrein, a managing director who has proven himself exceptionally well in other SKZ companies,” explains Bastian. “I am very pleased that all positions have been filled with long-standing employees from within our own ranks.” In addition to Martin Bastian, Robert Schmitt, and Thomas Hochrein, Benjamin Baudrit and Giovanni Schober have also been with SKZ for many years.
Thomas Hochrein is also delighted with the choice of his successor in research and education and his deputy in testing, monitoring, and certification: "Both Benjamin Baudrit and Giovanni Schober have shown in their previous roles that they will fulfill their new responsibilities excellently and with great commitment for the benefit of SKZ. I look forward to tackling the challenges ahead together with my colleagues and our CEO Martin Bastian in order to achieve successes that will continue to drive SKZ forward.“
”The restructuring underscores SKZ's commitment to continuity, experience, and internal expertise. Filling key positions with long-standing employees not only ensures stability within the management team, but also strengthens the further development of the SKZ companies in the areas of research, education, testing, and certification,“ says Bastian. ”Our partners thus benefit from a reliable management team that represents the expertise and values of the company in the long term while at the same time providing new impetus for innovation and growth."
