Swiss rolling stock manufacturer Stadler Rail has announced a change at the top of its management structure. The Board of Directors has appointed Philipp Brunner as the Group’s new CEO, effective from 1 January 2027. He will replace Markus Bernsteiner, who has led the company’s operations since 2023.
The decision, announced on Tuesday, represents a move towards internal continuity. Brunner, 42, has been associated with Stadler for more than 16 years and currently heads the Central Europe and Germany divisions, in addition to serving on the Executive Committee.
Philipp Brunner, Group executive since 2021
The new CEO joined the company in 2010 as a project manager in India, after studying business administration at the University of St Gallen and completing an MBA at ETH Zurich. A year later, he took on a complex assignment in Algeria, where he established Stadler’s maintenance facility in the country.
In 2012, he led the construction of the newly established plant in Minsk, subsequently managing it as Chief Operating Officer and, from 2016, as CEO. Under his leadership, it became one of the Group’s most successful subsidiaries, employing nearly 2,000 people and achieving strong exports to Eastern and Central Europe. International sanctions later forced a significant reduction in the plant’s activities.
At the helm of the Central Europe division—which comprises three production sites and more than 2,600 employees—Brunner drove business growth and improved profitability, while also introducing efficiency measures at the Berlin plant. His experience in markets across Europe, Asia and North Africa has earned him recognition as a leading executive within the railway industry.
Markus Bernsteiner’s legacy
Bernsteiner, 60, joined Stadler in 1999 as a machine fitter and progressed through the company’s ranks before heading Stadler Bussnang AG between 2006 and 2011. He subsequently led the Swiss Division, comprising the Bussnang and St Margrethen plants, and headed the Components Division for seven years, overseeing eight plants operated by international suppliers. He has served as Group CEO since January 2023.
His tenure has coincided with an especially challenging period for the industry: the effects of the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and its impact on supply chains, and the three floods that affected Valencia in 2024. Despite these challenges, Stadler reported first-half 2026 revenue of CHF 2 billion—40 per cent higher than in the previous year—and expects annual revenue to exceed CHF 5 billion for the first time, with an EBIT margin above 5 per cent.
After 27 years with the company, Bernsteiner will redirect his professional activity towards board positions at other companies, where he will contribute his operational experience. Peter Spuhler, Chairman of the Board and the person who personally recruited Brunner in 2010, highlighted his “excellent collaboration” with Bernsteiner over more than a quarter of a century and expressed his confidence in the incoming CEO.
The succession arrangements for the Central Europe and Germany divisions, which Brunner will leave vacant, are at an advanced stage and will be announced shortly.