Change at Gefran

Karsten Just has been Gefran's new Chief Sales Officer (CSO) since 1 October this year. In the multinational Italian company, he will be responsible for both sales and internationalisation processes.

In addition, Karsten Just will share responsibility for corporate strategy as a member of the management board. Gefran specialises in the development and manufacture of sensors, components and systems for the control and automation of industrial processes.Karsten Just, who studied electrical engineering, began his career in 1990 at ABB, a leading company in the fields of robotics, energy and automation, where he was appointed Managing Director of a group company at the beginning of the new millennium. In 2003, he moved to Weidmüller Interface GmbH & Co. KG, an automation components company with a turnover of around € 350 million at the time. After two very successful years at Weidmüller, he was appointed Managing Director Marketing & Sales at Leuze electronic GmbH & Co. KG, a manufacturer of sensors for factory automation.

In 2012, he moved to Bartec Top Holding GmbH in the same position. There he managed the group's global marketing and sales activities and helped the company achieve sustainable sales growth over the next four years. Karsten Just returned to the field of industrial sensor technology in 2016 as CMO, CSO and member of the executive board at Baumer Management Services AG. In these roles, he was responsible for a total of 17 sales subsidiaries as well as the digitalisation of marketing.

As Chief Sales Officer at Gefran, Karsten Just will drive the development of the group's sales strategy, combining his commercial experience with his technological know-how. "I am looking forward to this new role at Gefran, a company that has always been able to anticipate market trends and successfully meet a wide variety of challenges," says Karsten Just. "Even ambitious goals can be realised through teamwork and a focus on know-how, flexibility and technical quality. I am sure that together we can achieve a lot."

"We are very pleased to welcome Karsten Just to our company," says Marcello Perini, Chief Executive Officer of Gefran, "We are convinced that with his expertise and commitment he will further develop our market potential and our offer and achieve our growth targets. With his vast management experience in multinational companies in the sector, Karsten Just is the right person to lead Gefran onto an increasingly international stage".