Oliver Hermes
The Shaper of the Future
In 2018, Dr.-Ing. h.c. Jochen Opländer appointed Oliver Hermes, President & Global Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Wilo Group, as his entrepreneurial successor.
Oliver Hermes, President and Chief Executive Officer of Wilo, has been a member of the Executive Board since 2006. In 2019, Dr.-Ing. h.c. Jochen Opländernamed him as successor of the business, and thus also as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Wilo-Foundation.In recent years, as President & CEO, Oliver Hermes has been consistently promoting the transformation of the Wilo Group towards becoming a digitalclimate protection pioneer of the industry.As part of the strategic realignment of the group, he sped up the internationalisation of the business: he strengthened Wilo’s position as a leading global player by entering the marketsof East, West and Central Africa and the countries of Latin America, strengthening the regional presence in Southeast Asia and the Middle East and establishingnew plants in Russia, India, China, Korea, Turkey, the UAE and the United States. As a result, the Wilo Group has grown into a multi-billion business in recent years.
2019: The members of the executive bodies of the Wilo-Foundation, from left to right: Lawyer Lars Roßner (member of the Board of Trustees), Evi Hoch (member of the Executive Board), Dr.-Ing. h.c. Jochen Opländer (founder), Oliver Hermes (Chairman of the Board of Trustees), Professor Norbert Wieselhuber (member of the Board of Trustees), Jan Opländer (member of the Board of Trustees) and Wolfgang Mertineit (member of the Executive Board
In his role as CEO he has played a key role in significantly increasing the brand performance through the modernisation of brand identity and development of the corporate group from a “hidden champion” to a “visible & connected champion”. Moreover, he is consistently working to strengthen Wilo’s innovation leadership by pursuing the group’s shift from a component manufacturer to a provider of systems, solutions and services.
17.03.2020: Key to the future – symbolically the key to the Wilo Smart Factory, the heart of Wilopark
As part of this mission, for example, several future-oriented acquisitions were made. He is also advancing the digital transformation of the Wilo Groupalong the four dimensions of products andsolutions, processes, business models and people. In line with the motto “Climate protection is part of our DNA”, Oliver Hermes is committed to ensuring that Wilo helps to improve living standards worldwide and, in particular, increase the efficiency of water management systems in times of climate change. The fact that Wilo received the renowned German Sustainability Award (DNP) 2021 in the “Climate” transformation field underlines Wilo’s credibility as a “climate protection pioneer”.
25.08.2021: Ceremonial appointment of the new Honorary Consul and opening of the newly established Honorary Consul's Office at Wilopark, (from left to right): H.E.: Mr. Dauren Karipov, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Oliver Hermes, Chairman & CEO of the Wilo Group and Honorary Consul of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Thomas Westphal, Mayor of the City of Dortmund
Committee activities, honorary positions and awards of Oliver Hermes
Since 2025, Member of the Board of Trustees of the German-African Business Association
Since 2023, Member of the Executive Board of the Sub-Saharan Africa Initiative of German Business (SAFRI)
Since 2021, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia
Deputy Chairman of the German Near and Middle East Association (NUMOV), Berlin
Member of the Advisory Board of Borussia Dortmund GmbH & Co. KGaA (BVB), Dortmund
Member of the Board of Trustees of the Foundation for Family Businesses, Munich
Member of the Executive Board of pro Ruhrgebiet e.V., Essen
Member of the Supervisory Board of RWTÜV e.V., Essen
Member of the Advisory Board of the Initiativkreis Ruhr, Essen
Member of the University Council of the Technical University of Dortmund
Member of the Rotary Club, Dortmund
Member of the Executive Board of the German-African Business Association until 2025
Deputy Chairman of the Petersburg Dialogue, Berlin, until June 2022
Chairman of the Executive Board of the German Eastern Business Association (Ost-Ausschuss der Deutschen Wirtschaft) until June 2022, Berlin
Member of the Board of Trustees of the German-Russian Forum e.V., Berlin, until June 2022
Member of the Lions Club, Duisburg, until 2021
In 2014 he was awarded the honorary title "Citizens of the Ruhr Area".
Status: September 2025
