At his own request, current CEO Dr Geoffrey Scott will take early retirement, and will be succeeded by Thomas Nasiou, currently the company’s Head of Textile Technology. The new CEO will take over on April 1, 2016, whilst Dr Scott will continue to provide support to the company and to the Uster management in future as a member of the Board of Directors.

Exciting and challenging times

“Since the formation of Uster Technologies in 2003 following the first Management Buyout, we have been through some exciting and challenging times, including being publicly listed on the Swiss SIX Exchange, managing through the financial crisis, the investment and subsequent takeover by Toyota Industries and most recently the successful acquisition of Jossi Systems,” said Dr Scott, who has been CEO for the past 16 years.

“We have developed a profound focus on the needs of our customers. We are committed to providing the best solutions to help our customers with the many challenges they face in today’s demanding market environment.”

“It is the right time to step back from the CEO role and hand over the leadership role to a new set of hands. And I believe that now is an optimal time from the viewpoint of both the company and our customers. We have the ideal successor here already, so we can work towards a seamless transition for the future sustainability of the business.”

New CEO

As Head of Textile Technology and a member of the Executive Board, Thomas Nasiou has extensive experience of the textile industry, with Uster’s customers, markets and the company. His experience has been gained working through the value chain from cotton farming, ginning, and spinning and through various roles in Uster.

He has a detailed understanding of the needs of modern textile manufacturers, the company reports. “This background makes him uniquely qualified to take the next step as CEO”, commented Dr Scott. “Thomas Nasiou’s deep textile expertise, knowledge and commitment to Uster and its long term strategy will ensure continuity and stability of the Uster business.”

Experience

From 1995 until 2006, Thomas Nasiou worked as a mill manager and head of quality control at Selected Textiles SA, in Farsala, Greece. His special responsibilities covered customer support, optimization of production cost and quality, raw material management and liaison with cotton ginning firms. This diverse skillset was the foundation of his expertise in quality-minded spinning.

Nasiou joined Uster in 2006 as a Textile Technologist. In 2011, he was promoted to Head of Textile Technology and became a member of the Uster Executive Board. In 2014, he became member of the Spinners’ Committee of the International Textile Machinery Federation.

Thomas Nasiou holds an MBA from H.M.A. (Hellenic Management Association) in Larissa, Greece. “Learning is important for me. That means learning from the customers, our collaborators and our colleagues,” he said. “Only by applying that knowledge can I help our company to remain focused on ‘Think Quality’ and remain successful developing solutions that create value.”

www.uster.com