Olaf Berlien becomes new CEO of gas engine manufacturer INNIO

Olaf Berlien will take over as president and CEO at Austrian gas engine manufacturer INNIO on Oct. 1.

The former CEO of lighting and sensor specialist Osram succeeds Carlos Lange, who will remain with the company and move to INNIO’s advisory board as planned at his own request.

“We are very pleased to have Olaf Berlien as INNIO’s new CEO,” said Peter Grosch, chairman of INNIO. “With his extensive expertise in technology and sales as well as his experience in international companies, he was our preferred candidate. Olaf Berlien will build on the successful work of Carlos Lange and drive INNIO’s growth course. Under his leadership, INNIO will further expand its leading position and successfully help shape the energy transition that has been initiated.”

INNIO is a leading supplier of gas engines and services for power generation and gas compression with renewable gases, natural gas as well as on the basis of hydrogen. With its Jenbacher and Waukesha gas engines, INNIO contributes to the energy supply of communities, industry, and the public. With around 3500 employees, the company generated sales of around €1.4 billion in the fiscal year 2020. INNIO’s gas engines serve as a backup for the volatile energy supply from renewable sources and thus support the expansion of green energy, the company said. This makes them an integral part of the green energy future. INNIO already offers gas engines that can run on hydrogen as part of its “Ready for H2” portfolio and will extend this option to all gas engines from 2022. The company is thus driving the global transformation of energy generation on a broad front.

Carlos Lange

Berlien has extensive experience in plant engineering with the gas and oil industry as well as in the automotive and semiconductor industries. Over the past 30 years he has held leading positions as a board member and managing director of technology companies such as IBM, Carl Zeiss, Thyssenkrupp Technologies and ThyssenKrupp Elevator as well as Exyte. Most recently, Berlien served for six years as CEO of Osram, a global leader in the semiconductor-based lighting and sensor industry.

In his new role, Lange will support INNIO in an advisory capacity in its strategic development.

“Carlos Lange has written a strong growth story at INNIO in recent years and has set the course for a successful future by establishing new technologies such as hydrogen operation. We are extremely grateful to Carlos Lange for his successful work as President and CEO in the development of INNIO and, most importantly, for successfully leading the company through the COVID-19 pandemic,” Grosch said.

INNIO was formed in 2018 when Advent International has completed the acquisition of GE’s Distributed Power business. The acquisition included the Jenbacher and Waukesha product lines, the digital platform and related services offerings, with main operating sites in Austria, Canada and the United States. Lange was CEO when the acquisition occurred and stayed on in his role.