Akasol: CEO Sven Schulz steps down

Akasol's Chairman of the Board Sven Schulz leaves the company he founded – he made this public himself on the online portal LinkedIn. According to Schulz, he will still advise the Darmstadt-based battery manufacturer for a few more months to support the transition process as best as possible.

Verbatim, Sven Schulz wrote:

“Almost 14 years after founding Akasol and almost a year after my decision to sell my shares to BorgWarner Inc., it is time to take on new challenges in my professional life. Since February 10, I have not been the CEO of Akasol and have handed over the leadership to Henk Vanthournout to jointly lead our company into a successful future with the Akasol leadership team.”

Akasol was taken over in June 2021 by the American automotive supplier BorgWarner, which continued Akasol as an independent brand. At that time, Schulz remained active as CEO "at the request of BorgWarner and on his own initiative.”

His successor, Henk Vanthournout, who has been with BorgWarner in various positions for ten years – since January 2022 as Vice President and General Manager Global Battery and Charging Systems –  has since worked closely with Schulz.

“It was a very exciting time in my life. In 2008, I started almost from scratch with a small group of former students from the Technical University of Darmstadt, and I am happy and proud to see what has become of our company to this day – one of the world's leading manufacturers of battery systems for commercial vehicles. (Sven Schulz)

In the future, Sven Schulz wants to focus on the entrepreneurial activities of his investment company summiteer to support sustainable companies and start-up firms on their growth path. He also announced this on LinkedIn.

What does this mean?

In many cultures, "seven years" are considered significant time windows. Similarly for Sven Schulz, who after 14 years is eager for new ventures and is now finally leaving Akasol.