PRESS RELEASE
Florian Hohenwarter appointed CEO of KNDS Deutschland effective 1st January 2026
Amsterdam/Munich, 26 November 2025 –
KNDS Deutschland today announced that Ralf Ketzel, CEO since 2020, will retire on 1st January 2026 after 35 years of dedicated service to the company. He will be succeeded by Florian Hohenwarter, currently KNDS Chief Operating Officer and member of the Management Board since April 2023.
Ralf Ketzel began his career at Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (then KraussMaffei). Over the past three decades, he has held key leadership positions, driving innovation in land defense systems, fostering international collaboration, and strengthening KNDS Deutschland’s contribution to European and Ukrainian defense capabilities. Ralf Ketzel has been instrumental in driving the continued success of the LEOPARD 2, one of the world’s most advanced main battle tanks. With more than 3,300 units in service across 23 nations, the LEOPARD 2 stands as a premier example of international collaboration and technological innovation.
Florian Hohenwarter brings more than 20 years of leadership experience in several senior roles in the automotive industry. Since joining KNDS in 2023, he has focused on advancing industrial performance and expanding the company’s manufacturing footprint.
“Ralf Ketzel has shaped KNDS Deutschland to adapt to the new environment,” said Jean-Paul Alary, CEO of KNDS. “He accelerated the company’s transformation and guided its evolution into a leading European and international defense player. I sincerely thank Ralf for his outstanding contribution and his commitment to developing KNDS. I look forward to continuing our collaboration with Florian Hohenwarter as we pursue our shared goal of strengthening both KNDS Deutschland and the Group.”
Presscontact
Véronique Creissels
Chief Communications Officer
KNDS N. V.
Gustav Mahlerlaan 1017
Mahler 1000, 3rd floor
1082 MK Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Telefon: +31 6 2470 3239
E-Mail : veronique.creissels@knds.nl
www.knds.de
About KNDS
KNDS is a European land defense systems leader with more than 10,000 employees, 2024 turnover of 3.8 billion euro, order backlog of around 23.5 billion euro and order intake of 11.2 billion euro in 2024. As prime contractor and lead system integrator KNDS develop, deliver and sustain state of the art manned and unmanned ‘system-of-systems’, complete mission solutions and its main systems and sub-platforms, including the related ammunitions and services. Its product portfolio encompass main battle tanks, armored vehicles, artillery systems, weapons systems, ammunition, robotics, military bridges, customer services, battle management systems, training solutions, protection solutions and a wide range of equipment.
The alliance between Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (now KNDS Deutschland) and Nexter (now KNDS France) has been a step forward in the consolidation of the land defense systems industry in Europe. It positions KNDS as a key contributor to European sovereignty, offering European and NATO customers the opportunity of increased standardization and interoperability for their defense equipment, with a dependable and resilient European industrial base. KNDS is the trusted partner of 24 armed forces in Europe and 19 in the rest of the world.
KNDS headquarters are based in Amsterdam.
