Executive Board of the Corporate Group

We are a global player and a family business, managed by a responsible Group Executive Board.
Executive Board of the Phoenix Contact Corporate Group (left to right): Ulrich Leidecker, Torsten Janwlecke, Frank Stührenberg, Dirk Görlitzer, Axel Wachholz, Frank Possel-Dölken
Dirk Görlitzer, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Phoenix Contact

Dirk Görlitzer Chief Operating Officer/Chief Executive Officer

Dirk Görlitzer has been acting as Chief Executive Officer alongside Frank Stührenberg since July 2024 and will become his successor on January 1, 2025. As Chief Operating Officer (COO), he has been a member of the Phoenix Contact Group Executive Board since 2020 and will continue in this role in the future. In this role, he is head of the Manufacturing Solutions division and the subsidiary in China.

He began his career at Phoenix Contact in 1994 as a product manager. In 1999, he was appointed Director of Product Marketing Connection Technology, in 2003, Director of the Business Unit Industrial Connection Technology, and in 2011, Director of the Industrial Components Division. Dirk Görlitzer has been the president and a member of the Board of the Business Area Industrial Components and Electronics (ICE) since 2016.

Dirk Görlitzer, born in 1967, studied electrical engineering at the OWL University of Applied Sciences in Lemgo.

Ulrich Leidecker, Chief Operating Officer at Phoenix Contact

Ulrich Leidecker Chief Operating Officer/Spokesman of the Group Executive Board

Ulrich Leidecker has been spokesman of the Group Executive Board since January 2025 and has been a member of the Phoenix Contact Group Executive Board as Chief Operating Officer (COO) since August 2020. He is responsible for the Purchasing, Logistics, and Group Communications divisions as well as for the subsidiary in the USA.

He began his career in 1994 at Phoenix Contact as a sales engineer. Shortly thereafter, he took on managerial roles in Sales and International Key Account Management. In 2010, Ulrich Leidecker became General Manager of Phoenix Contact Deutschland GmbH. He has been the president and a member of the Board of the Business Area Industry Management and Automation (IMA) since 2016.

Ulrich Leidecker, born in 1967, studied Control and Automation Technology at Paderborn University.

Torsten Janwlecke, Chief Operating Officer at Phoenix Contact

Torsten Janwlecke Chief Operating Officer

As Chief Operating Officer (COO) since August 2020, Torsten Janwlecke has also been a Member of the Phoenix Contact Executive Board. In this role, he is responsible for the Quality & Product Compliance, Facility Management, and Metal Parts Production divisions. He also coordinates the company’s sustainability activities.

He started his career at Phoenix Contact in 2016 and has since led the Business Area Device Connectors (DC) as President. He previously held various management roles during his career, in German and Japanese firms. He was a General Manager in the connector industry for more than 10 years before moving to Phoenix Contact.

Torsten Janwlecke, born in 1965, studied Electrical Engineering specializing in Communications Engineering at the University of Applied Sciences Bielefeld and Business Administration at the University of Applied Sciences Hamburg.

Axel Wachholz, Chief Financial Officer at Phoenix Contact

Axel Wachholz Chief Financial Officer

Axel Wachholz has been the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and General Manager of Phoenix Contact since January 2018. In this role, he is responsible for the areas of Corporate Finance and Controlling, and Corporate Human Relations. He is also responsible for ESG reporting.

He began his professional career in International Application Engineering at Bilstein in Hagen, Germany. He joined the consulting company Droege & Comp in Düsseldorf in 2000, where he focused increasingly on organizational, finance, and controlling issues.

From 2005 to 2011, Axel Wachholz was responsible for Corporate Controlling and the Special Projects unit of the Executive Board at Benteler in Paderborn, Germany, and Salzburg, Austria, before becoming the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of sanitation and heating company Viega in Attendorn, Westphalia, Germany, in 2011.

Axel Wachholz, born in 1970, studied Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University Dortmund.

Frank Possel-Dölken, Chief Digital Officer at Phoenix Contact

Frank Possel-Dölken Chief Digital Officer

Frank Possel-Dölken has been a member of the Phoenix Contact Executive Board as the Chief Digital Officer (CDO) since August 2020. In this role, he is responsible for the Digital Processes & Solutions (IT) and Manufacturing Solutions (OT) as well as for Digital Business Experience Management (digital customer interface and sales channels) divisions, and the central Innovation and IP Management.

He has worked at Phoenix Contact since 2008, holding various management positions in the Machine Building and Tool Shop divisions for several years. As Vice President, he headed up the Corporate Technology & Value Chain division from 2016 to 2020.

Frank Possel-Dölken began his career in 2000 as a research associate in the machine tool lab of the Technical University of Aachen (RWTH Aachen), where his most recent duties involved leading the Integrated Production Technology for High-Wage Countries excellence cluster.

Frank Possel-Dölken, born in 1974, studied Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University of Aachen (RWTH Aachen).