Transition at the Top of the Jena Swimming Pools: Bernhard Dengel Takes Over
Harald Gabriel (Personal- & Projektleiter bei GMF), Susan Zetzmann und Bernhard Dengel (v.l.n.r.).
© GMF GmbH & Co. KG
(eap) A change in management has been announced for the Jena swimming pools on July 1, 2025: Stadtwerke Jena has appointed that Bernhard Dengel, who will take over the management of operations on an interim basis. Dengel, who has many years of management experience in the pool industry and most recently worked as the manager of the Wonnemar leisure pool in Wismar, will take over the position on July 1, 2025 on an interim basis until the end of the year. Dengel will work as part of a service cooperation with GMF. The interim solution is intended to ensure a seamless handover and the smooth operation of the Jena pools.
“With GMF and Bernhard Dengel, we are consciously relying on experience and reliability in an important transition phase. Particularly in view of the tasks ahead, especially the conversion of GalaxSea, it is important for us to put the future of Jena’s pools on a stable footing,” emphasizes Dr. Thomas Nitzsche, Lord Mayor of the City of Jena and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Stadtwerke Jena.
Alongside the interim solution, planning is already underway for a permanent replacement for the management. The aim is to establish long-term management for Jena’s public pools by January 1, 2026. The change comes as the previous Managing Director Susan Zetzmann is leaving Jenaer Bädergesellschaft on June 30, 2025 and moving to Bäderland Hamburg (see EAP news from 23.01.2025).
“My heartfelt thanks go to Susan Zetzmann for her great commitment over the past few years. She was responsible for the construction of the new indoor sports pool, contributed with great dedication to making Jena’s outdoor pools more attractive and established close cooperation with the neighboring Saalemaxx leisure pool. On behalf of the City of Jena, I wish her all the best and every success in her new role in Hamburg,” said Lord Mayor Nitzsche.
Tobias Wolfrum, Managing Director of Stadtwerke Jena, also thanked Zetzmann for her work and said: “Our employees in the pools do a great job every day – this requires strong leadership, even in times of transition. With GMF and Bernhard Dengel, we are creating a stable solution to continue the current processes together with the team and set the course for the future.” ■
