Change at the Top of the MEYER WERFT Group
Dr. Bernd Eikens (right) hands over the leadership of MEYER WERFT to his successor Dr. André Walter (left) | Photo: Courtesy of MEYER WERFT GmbH.
(eap) The German MEYER WERFT, which builds ships for cruise operators such as Carnival Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line and MSC Cruises, carried out a planned change at the top of the group yesterday, July 1. The company’s former CEO, Dr. Bernd Eikens, left the company on June 30, 2026 and is now retiring. He has been succeeded by Dr. André Walter, who will lead the company together with Ralf Schmitz (Chief Restructuring Officer) and Jörg Heidelberg (Chief Operating Officer).
Walter joins from the European aerospace group Airbus, where he had served as Chairman of the Management Board of Airbus Aerostructures GmbH and Airbus GmbH in Hamburg since 2022. Born in Oldenburg, Walter began his career at Airbus in 2006, holding various technical and management positions. Among other roles, the engineer led the Airbus sites in Bremen and Hamburg.
Bernd Eikens joined the management board of Meyer Werft in December 2023 and guided the group through its most severe economic crisis in 2024. His time as Chairman of the Management Board saw successful ship deliveries, including the cruise ships “ASUKA III” and “Disney Destiny”, as well as river cruise ships for Viking built by the subsidiary NEPTUN WERFT. In addition to the ship projects, important internal initiatives are also said to have been implemented under Eikens, aimed at improving processes and cost efficiency.
“The Supervisory Board would like to thank Dr. Bernd Eikens for his outstanding work over the past three years. He took over the company during its most challenging crisis and stabilized it with calmness, clarity, and strong leadership. The fact that the group now enjoys such excellent prospects is due in no small part to his efforts. We wish him all the best for his well-earned retirement. At the same time, we warmly welcome Dr. André Walter aboard our company,” explains Dr. Christian von Lenthe, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Meyer Werft.
“These have been three challenging but ultimately successful years at Meyer Werft. As a native of Papenburg, it has always been a matter close to my heart to help ensure that this important company – for the region and for Germany as an industrial location – successfully turns the corner. I am grateful that we have achieved this,” says Eikens
“I am very much looking forward to working with the teams in Papenburg and at our subsidiary Neptun Werft in Rostock. I can build on the achievements that have already been made since the start of the restructuring in 2024 – whether in the order pipeline, internal processes, or the further development of the company culture,” highlights Walter. ■
