Association of German Mineral Springs (VDM) reorganises its management team

The business graduate and beverage industry expert has many years of experience in the consumer goods industry and in association management at the federal political level. The new Managing Director of the association will take up his duties on 1 August 2021.

"We are pleased to have gained in Jürgen Reichle an industry-experienced Managing Director with extensive expertise in active association policy and communication, whose roots lie in the mineral water industry and who is very well networked with the beverage industry, trade and politics," explains Dr Karl Tack, Chairman of the VDM. "With Jürgen Reichle and his high level of management competence, we are positioning the association for the future and will unerringly take on the multi-layered communicative and regulatory challenges of the mineral water industry. We wish him a happy hand at all times."

Jürgen Reichle brings with him more than 20 years of experience from various positions in the consumer goods sector and especially the beverage industry as well as in association management. His roots lie in the Eifel mineral water region, where he completed his training as an industrial clerk at Apollinaris in Bad Neuenahr and worked alongside his studies. After his studies, Reichle started in marketing at Procter & Gamble with predominantly European tasks. Reichle then managed various business units at PepsiCo for almost twelve years. Most recently, he was responsible for the D-A-CH region as CEO and Managing Director for more than six years. During this period, Reichle was also actively involved in association politics as a founding member of the German Association for Beverage Packaging of the Future (BGVZ) and as a member of the advisory board of the German Deposit Society (DPG). Most recently, the experienced marketing and communications professional worked for the Pro7Sat1 media group and the Salis Group as CEO and managing director.

"The regionally rooted and predominantly family-run mineral springs are a reflection of the successful federal diversity of our country and have been role models and entrepreneurs in terms of circular economy, sustainability and regionality for several decades. In view of the great challenges, I am looking forward to continuing to accompany and lead the mineral water industry on its way into the future and to beneficially represent the interests of the members in a modern, service- and goal-oriented association," explains Jürgen Reichle, with the aim of using his cross-industry experience in the team for the German mineral water companies.

As General Manager, Jürgen Reichle will be responsible for the areas of economy, environment and sustainability, as well as communication and digitalisation, and will develop these further in a target-appropriate and team-oriented manner. In disciplinary terms, he is responsible for all employees of the VDM office. In the newly created function of Vice President European Affairs, Udo Kremer will in future be in charge of European affairs and will be dedicated to representing the interests of the German mineral water industry at European level. The VDM's legal advisor, Dr. Caspar Jürgens, will continue to act as Deputy Managing Director.

The Association of German Mineral Wells (VDM) represents the political and economic interests of the mineral water industry. The approximately 200 predominantly small and medium-sized German mineral water companies bottle more than 500 different mineral waters and 27 medicinal waters as well as numerous mineral water soft drinks. With around 12,500 employees, they are important employers in the food industry. As part of the industry initiative "Climate Neutrality 2030", which was launched at the beginning of 2021 together with the Genossenschaft Deutscher Brunnen (GDB), the VDM is supporting German mineral springs on their way to climate neutrality. The entire process chain of natural mineral water is to be climate-neutral by 2030 at the latest.