Stadler Appoints Phillip Brunner as New Group CEO

Stadler has appointed a new Group CEO, with Philipp Brunner set to relieve Markus Bernsteiner on 1 January 2027.

The decision, made by Stadler’s Board of Directors, will see Bernsteiner move to focus on his duties with the Board, and represents a plan the company has stated was made ‘well in advance’.

Brunner currently heads Stadler’s Central Europe and Germany divisions, and has acted as CEO of the latter since January 2026 whilst being an active member of the Group Executive Board since 2021. He has been with the company since 2010, when, reporting directly of Chairman of the Board, Peter Spuhler, he first began his career as a project manager in India, before achieving success with operations in Algeria, as well as oversight of the construction of Stadler Minsk, where he led as CEO with around 2,000 employees.

Meanwhile, current Group CEO Bernsteiner, who first joined Stadler in 1999 and took over operational management in 2023, first began as a machine fitter before qualifying as a production engineer (HF). From this point, he continued his education at the University of St Gallen, where he completed the KMU-HSG programme and the Executive MBA, and, from 2006 to 2011, served as CEO of Stadler Bussnang AG, before heading the company’s Switzerland Division, as well as the Swiss plants in Bussnang (TG) and St. Margrethen (SG).

Bernsteiner’s tenure as Group CEO has seen the company through a number of ‘particularly challenging years’, including the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, floods in 2024 and disrupted supply chains. In the first half of 2026, Stadler’s turnover rose by 40% to 2.0 billion CHF, and, for the 2026 financial year, the company expects turnover to exceed 5 billion CHF for the first time, as well as reach an EBIT margin of more than 5%.

Peter Spuhler, Chairman of the Board of Directors, said:

Our collaboration with Markus Bernsteiner over a quarter of a century has been excellent. He has successfully tackled operational challenges, even when the going got tough.

The pandemic, the war in Ukraine with its disrupted supply chains, and the three floods in 2024 hit Stadler hard. We are now back on track for success, thanks in part to the tremendous commitment of Group CEO Markus Bernsteiner.

On behalf of the entire Board of Directors, I would like to thank him from the bottom of my heart for his prudent leadership and his deep commitment to Stadler.

I have enjoyed an excellent working relationship with Philipp Brunner for many years. He has worked his way up through numerous key roles within the Stadler Group and has repeatedly demonstrated, including on the international stage, that he achieves excellent results in day-to-day operations.

I am very much looking forward to working with him as the new Group CEO and offer my warmest congratulations on this new role.