With effect from 1 July, he has taken over the position from Thomas Raab, who planned to pursue other personal interests and left the company on 1 August.

Brünner studied mechanical engineering at the TU Berlin and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has held senior positions in the automotive and mechanical engineering industries both nationally and internationally.

He has successfully managed various companies and has over 20 years of experience in the transformation and organisation of growth of medium-sized companies.

In his new role, Brünner will report directly to Polar Group shareholders SOL Capital Management.

He said: “I am looking forward to the new challenge that awaits me at a traditional global market leader. Driving forward the transformation of Polar, further developing its competitiveness and generating growth is an exciting task.”

With around 350 staff worldwide at its sites in Hofheim and Shanghai, Polar develops systems for the automation of industrial cutting and die-cutting processes.