Katharina Obergruber appointed to the manage-ment board of Sandler
Schwarzenbach / Saale (GERMANY), July 10, 2026 – The Supervisory Board of Sandler AG has appointed Katharina Obergruber to the company’s Management Board. Effective September 1, 2026, the Board will consist of Philipp Ebbinghaus (CEO), Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck (currently CCO, future COO), and Katharina Obergruber (CCO). Katharina Obergruber, currently Chief Sales Officer Hygiene and member of the Management Team of Sandler AG, will assume responsibility for all sales activities as Chief Commercial Officer. She will assume this role from Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck, who will focus primarily on production and supply chain topics.
Born in Rehau (GERMANY) in 1989, Obergruber studied business administration and later added a technical engineering degree. She joined Sandler AG in 2019 as Sales Manager Transportation Products. In early 2022, she became Senior Manager Sustainability, reporting directly to the Management Board. Sustainability has always been a personal passion for her. With strong initiative and fresh ideas, she played a key role in shaping Sandler AG’s sustainability strategy. In October 2023, she moved into Sales and became Head of Sales Hygiene/Wipes, one of Sandler AG’s largest market segments. It includes nonwovens that are required for the production of hygiene products such as baby diapers, feminine hygiene items, incontinence products, as well as wet wipes and cleaning wipes.
Katharina Obergruber stands for customer focus and strategic clarity
“With Katharina Obergruber, we are gaining a Board member who combines customer proximity with strategic clarity – two qualities we need in times of constant change. At the same time, we benefit from Ulrich Hornfeck’s long-standing experience and his deep knowledge of materials and technologies. Both are crucial for successfully leading our production into the future,” says CEO Philipp Ebbinghaus. Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck also sees clear strategic value in the appointment: “I look forward to working with Katharina Obergruber in this new constellation. She has done outstanding work in our sales team over the past years. The overall commercial responsibility will be in excellent hands with her. With her expertise and ideas, she will set important new impulses in her new role.”
Contributing to a sustainable and diverse corporate culture
Obergruber is excited about her appointment to the Management Board and aims to strengthen a sustainable and diverse corporate culture: “As Chief Commercial Officer, I want to work closely with my Board colleagues Philipp Ebbinghaus and Ulrich Hornfeck to drive the transformation toward a clearly customer‑focused organization and to better integrate Sales, Materials Management, and Logistics. Providing direction, listening, supporting people, and developing solutions together. Because it is not principles but personalities that move organizations forward.”
Which are Sandler's Markets?
Sandler Group is an international manufacturer of nonwovens and supplies customers in numerous industries worldwide. Our nonwoven solutions are used in construction, household goods, hygiene products, industrial applications, and the mobility sector. These solutions are used for filtration, upholstery, feminine and baby hygiene products, and transportation. We develop our products to reliably meet functional requirements. These include comfortable hygiene products, efficient filter systems, and technical components for industrial applications.
Sandler Nonwovens: Solutions for Today and Tomorrow
Sandler Nonwovens embody technical precision, consistent quality, and application-specific solutions. Drawing on over 140 years of experience, we develop nonwovens that are precisely tailored to their intended use and deliver impressive performance throughout their entire product life cycle.
We view innovation as an ongoing process throughout the entire value chain, from material development to series production. The result are customized Sandler Nonwovens for challenging markets around the world.
