New Member of the Management Board Research and Development at Technology Leader Festo
With Professor Smetana, the family-owned company Festo has been able to recruit a highly recognized and internationally well-connected leader for the position of Chief Technology Officer (CTO).
As the new Board Member for Research and Development, Professor Smetana will be responsible for Corporate Research and Innovation, Corporate Product Development, Corporate Software Development as well as the Business Units Electric Automation, Process Automation and LifeTech.
Professor Smetana studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Prague, earned his doctorate in mechanical engineering at Chemnitz University of Technology, and has a professorship at Shanghai University since 2022. He began his career in 2001 at Schaeffler, where he has held various management positions for 22 years, including Head of Development for eMobility, CTO Asia Pacific, Global CTO of the Industrial Division, and Senior Vice President of Innovation at the Schaeffler Group. From 2023, he was CTO at the ebm-papst Group, where he was responsible for global research and development at the innovation leader in air and heat technology.
Professor Smetana will further increase Festo's competitiveness thanks to his professional expertise in technology and innovation management, in the design of international R&D organizations and efficient development processes. With his in-depth experience in digital transformation, his pronounced customer proximity and his in-depth knowledge of the Asian growth markets, he will make a decisive contribution to the necessary further development of our family-owned company.
Thomas Böck, Chairman of the Management Board of Festo: “On behalf of the company, I am very pleased to welcome Professor Smetana as our new CTO. We look forward to a trusting and successful collaboration and wish him good luck and lasting success in his new role.”
