ebm-papst has announced that Prof. Dr. Tomas Smetana will hand over the position of Chief Technology Officer (CTO) to Jens Löffler on April 1, 2026. The transition follows the completion of the company’s “Innovation for Growth” (I4G) change program. With the appointment of Löffler, currently Vice President Product Management / Strategy & R&D, the company fills the C-level role with an internal manager.
During his tenure, Smetana led the implementation of the strategic “Innovation for Growth” program, which introduced an agile project organization and focused on developing innovative fans for growing market segments along the sustainable product life cycle. The initiative included optimizing system efficiency using digital twins and improving resource efficiency at the end of the product life cycle through circular economy approaches. The company also developed solutions for new business areas, including high-speed turbo compressors and the NEXAIRA digital ecosystem.
According to the company, its innovation and sustainability efforts have been recognized with awards such as the German Sustainability Award and the Baden-Württemberg Environmental Technology Award. The next phase of the strategy, described as “Innovation to Business,” will focus on scaling and implementing the innovations developed through the program.
Jens Löffler joined ebm-papst in 2005 as a development engineer and has held several management roles within the company. Since 2023, he has served as Vice President Strategy / Product Management / R&D in the United States, where he oversees product management, strategy, and research and development functions.
“I am delighted about the trust placed in me and the opportunity to continue the successful work of Tomas Smetana. The experience I gained from the I4G program and the close collaboration with Tomas Smetana and our team have shaped me,” said Jens Löffler.
Dr. Klaus Geißdörfer, Chairman of the Management Board, said: “On behalf of the shareholders, the Supervisory Board, and the entire Management Board, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Tomas Smetana for his outstanding commitment and decisive impetus in the successful transformation of global research and development at ebm-papst, which now lays the foundation for future growth.”
