figawa General Assembly 2023: Strengthening the industry with experience and new energy

  • The figawa general assembly elected a new Presidial Board and Managing Board on May 11, 2023.
  • Dr. Günter Stoll was reconfirmed as President, and Jörn Winkels was reconfirmed as Vice President.
  • The re-elected President believes that the association is well-prepared for future energy and climate issues with its "knowledge and technical expertise."
  • A new brand appearance for figawa was introduced, including a new logo and the slogan "Knowledge. Technology. Exchange."

Cologne, May 12, 2023 - With a new Presidial Board, an adapted statute, and a fresh brand appearance, the Federal Association of Companies in the Gas and Water Industry (figawa) has initiated significant changes at their recent general assembly in Essen. The re-elected President, Dr. Günter Stoll (Grünbeck Wasseraufbereitung GmbH), and Vice President, Jörn Winkels (Mannesmann Precision Tubes GmbH), ensure continuity.

"Together, we will strive to make the gas, liquid fuels, and water sectors future-proof and intensify the dialogue with our partners," says Dr. Stoll. "With our collective knowledge and technical expertise, we are confident in successfully addressing the challenges of our time and advancing the development of our members and the entire industry," further stated the re-elected President.

Dr. Stoll has been serving as figawa President since 2015 and, along with Jörn Winkels, has been part of the Presidial Board for over 15 years.

In addition to addressing current political challenges, another focus of the general assembly was the development of the association. The Presidial Board and Managing Board of figawa jointly developed amendments to the statute and membership fee regulations, which were presented to the general assembly. These groundbreaking proposals were accepted by the members with great approval after an open discussion. This enables figawa to further improve its services and efficiently represent industry interests.

Knowledge. Technology. Exchange.

In addition to these important decisions, figawa presented its brand formation process. With the aim of communicating the values and goals of the association and showcasing its strong identity, a comprehensive strategic process was undertaken. The result: a new logo and a concise slogan, "Knowledge. Technology. Dialogue." The new brand design represents the competence, innovation, and open exchange within the figawa network.

Re-election of the Presidial Board and Managing Board

There was a clear vote for continuity in the leadership of figawa. Karl-Heinz Backhaus (Vaillant GmbH), Karl Dungs (Karl Dungs GmbH & Co. KG), Thorsten Dietz (RMG Messtechnik GmbH), Prof. Dr. Friedhelm Schlößer (Schwank GmbH), Dr. Günter Stoll (Grünbeck Wasseraufbereitung GmbH), and Jörn Winkels (Mannesmann Precision Tubes GmbH) were re-elected for the term 2023 to 2025. Stefanie Facklam (WILO SE) and Andreas Fiefhaus (Viega GmbH & Co. KG) join as new members. Georg Taubert (Geberit International AG), a long-standing member of the board and Presidial Board, was bid farewell with great gratitude.

The long-standing board members Thomas Kempf (Hansa Armaturen GmbH), Lutz Krischausky (Wolf GmbH), Ulrich Stemick, and Hans Willbold (Grünbeck Wasseraufbereitung GmbH) were also bid farewell with applause.

"Additional members of the figawa Managing Board, as stipulated by the statute, are the sector chairs who were elected in their respective sectors in the spring. They include Ulrich Eff (Diehl Metering GmbH), Oliver Jäger (vonRoll hydro (deutschland) gmbh & co kg), Carsten Lorenz (Fiorentini Deutschland GmbH), Tino Reinhard (Geberit RLS Beteiligungs GmbH), Tatjana Röder (aquagroup AG), Christoph Schreckenberg (Vaillant GmbH), and Jörg Susan (Siemens AG).

For more information about figawa and its activities, please visit https://figawa.org.

figawa is a technical-scientific association comprising over 275 member companies, primarily manufacturers and service providers in the gas, liquid fuels, and water sectors. The industry association consolidates interests, promotes uniform and high-quality standardization, and actively participates in legislative processes to establish a foundation for approval, testing, certification, and legal certainty for all market participants. Together with its member companies, figawa advocates for technological openness in heat and water supply and the transformation from fossil fuels to climate-neutral energy sources in Germany and Europe."