Michail Stahlhut will step down as chief executive officer of the Hupac Group in May 2026, ending eight years at the helm of the Swiss-based combined transport operator. Hupac’s Board of Directors said it will communicate further details on the succession process at a later stage.
The Board of Directors also thanked Stahlhut for his leadership during a period marked by significant challenges for the logistics sector, particularly for combined transport. Hans-Joerg Bertschi, chairman of the Board, said that Stahlhut’s tenure had been characterised by stability and resilience at a time of structural and operational pressure on rail freight and intermodal transport.
Stahlhut himself pointed to the importance of teamwork and leadership development during his time at the company. “I am grateful for what we achieved together as a team in a demanding environment,” he said, adding that strengthening the leadership team to manage crises with a high degree of personal responsibility had been a key priority.
Change of the guard
Stahlhut is not the first notable CEO stepping down in the rail freight industry. Sigrid Nikutta, CEO of DB Cargo since 2020, was let go last October and replaced by Bernhard Osburg. Morevoer, Clemens Först announced that, in April, he will resign from his position at the head of Austrian Rail Cargo Group after 10 years. Tomáš Tóth, who spent five years as CEO of the Czech ČD Cargo also resigned due to personal reasons a few months ago. Hopefully, the successors will be able to continue on the path set by their predecessors and improve what is currently a very frail situation for rail freight in Europe.