Management

Joost Geginat is the President of GF Piping Systems and member of the management board of Georg Fischer AG. He assumed this position in 2016 and is responsible for the strategic and operative management of the division.

Prior to joining GF Piping Systems he held the post of Senior Managing Director and Partner of the Swiss consulting firm AlixPartners (2014-2016). Prior to that he worked for many years for Roland Berger Strategy Consultants (1995-2014) as Regional Managing Partner for Southeast Asia, Chief Operating Officer in Switzerland, and consultant and partner in Germany.

Joost Geginat studied business management at the University of Cologne, Germany and the Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) in Paris, France. He holds a degrees in business management (Diplomkaufmann) and a CEMS Master's in International Management degree. He launched his professional career by a banking apprenticeship at the Deutsche Bank in Cologne.

He was born in Cologne (Germany) in 1966.

Juerg Peter is the Chief Financial Officer of GF Piping Systems and member of the Global Executive Management since January 2024.

Juerg Peter joined GF Piping Systems in 2018 as Head of Merger & Acquisitions and Partnerships. Before his current role, he was Head Region Latin America for GF Piping Systems between 2021-2023. Prior to GF Piping Systems, Juerg worked in 8 years in mergers & acquisitions at Syngenta in Switzerland and Credit Suisse Investment Banking in London.

Juerg Peter holds a double master's degree in Banking & Finance and International Management from the University of St. Gallen (Switzerland) and National University of Singapore (NUS). He was born in Winterthur (Switzerland) in 1984.

Sebastian Bondestam is the Head of Business Unit Infra and member of the Executive Committee at GF Piping Systems since January 2024.

Before joining the GF Piping Systems, he served as the President of Uponor Infra from April 2013 to December 2023. During his tenure at Uponor, he held several key positions such as the Executive Vice President of Supply Chain, Executive Vice President of Supply Chain for Building Solutions – Europe.

Prior to Uponor, Sebastian Bondestam worked for Tetra Pak from 1991 to 2007. He served in various capacities including Director of Packaging Material Supply Chain EU and Vice President of Converting Americas. During his career at Tetra Pak, Sebastian relocated with his family to Sweden, Singapore, China, the UK, Italy, the US, and Germany.

Sebastian Bondestam holds a Master's degree in Engineering from Helsinki University of Technology. He was born in Helsinki (Finland) in 1962.

Thomas Hary is the Head of Business Unit Industry / Utility and member of the Global Executive Management.

Thomas Hary has worked for GF companies for his entire career. Before assuming his current role in 2024, he was CFO of GF Piping Systems (2019–2023) and prior to that CFO at GF Casting Solutions (2016–2019), as well as CFO of Business Unit Americas at GF Piping Systems in the USA (2013–2016). He also held positions at GF Machining Solutions (Head of Controlling BU Operations, 2010–2013, and Strategic Planning Manager, 2006–2007) and GF Piping Systems (Business Controller and Project Manager, 2007–2010) in Switzerland.

Thomas Hary studied for an MSc in Economics and Business Administration at the University of Mannheim. He was born in Ludwigshafen am Rhein (Germany) in 1981.

James Jackson is the Head of Business Unit Americas and member of the Global Executive Management at GF Piping Systems. He joined GF Piping Systems in his current position in 2014.

Prior to this role, James Jackson worked for GF Piping Systems for 15 years with a focus on North America. He was President and Managing Director of GF North America from 2007 to 2014, before which he held several vice-presidential and managerial roles. His career began at Advanced Industrial Designs, where he worked for five years from 1994.

Jackson studied at Pepperdine University for an MBA focusing on technology management, and at California State University, Chico, for a BA in Organizational Communication .

He was born in Oakland (California) in 1970.

Noel Schreiber is the Head of Human Resources and member of the Global Executive Management at GF Piping Systems. He has been in the role since 2013, and previously held the same position at GF Casting Solutions, where he also served as Head of Organizational Development and IT, and Head of Risk Management.

Schreiber’s earlier career reflects his legal background. He was Head of the Legal Department at Webasto AG from 2003 to 2006, and before this he worked at a law firm. He studied law in Munich, achieving accreditation as a lawyer, and went on to obtain an MBA from Henley Management College in the UK.

He was born in Munich (Germany) in 1971.

Nicolas Schulz is the Global Chief Operating Officer and member of the Global Executive Committee at GF Piping Systems since January 2024.

Nicolas Schulz joined GF Piping Systems in 2022. Prior to that, he worked at Heraeus Medical Components at their headquarters in Minneapolis (US) from 2008-2022. He held different senior executive roles in the areas of Strategy, Business Development and Global Operations & Supply Chain; last as Executive Vice President of their Business Unit Active Devices & Global Operations. From 2001-2008, Nicolas worked for the BMW Group in Munich (Germany) in various management positions in engineering and operations.

Nicolas Schulz holds a double master's degree in mechanical engineering from Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Arts et Métiers (ENSAM) in Paris (France) and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) (Germany).

He was born in St. Foy-Les-Lyon (France) in 1977.

Michael Toh joined GF Piping Systems in 2018 as Head of Business Unit Asia and member of the Global Executive Management.

Michael Toh  became part of the GF Piping Systems team after eight years with Honeywell Building Solutions in Singapore, where he was Regional General Manager – South East Asia and then VP Sales Asia Pacific. Prior to this, he worked at Johnson Controls from 2002 to 2008 as Director of Service, Asia Pacific, and Managing Director, Malaysia and Singapore. Previously, he held positions at ABB Service Asia, Nissan Australia and BlueScope Steel Malaysia.

His education took place in Australia, where he studied for an MBA at Deakin University and a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering at RMIT. 

He was born in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) in 1968.

Dominique Van Ackere is the Head of Business Unit EMEA of GF Piping Systems since 2016 and member of the Global Executive Management.

Dominique Van Ackere has been with GF Piping Systems since 1989. In his latest positions he was Head Region South Europe/ Managing Director from 2013 to 2015. Prior to that, he has been both Managing Director at Georg Fischer in Belgium and in France from 2009 to 2013. He had worked at GF Piping Systems in France from 2006 to 2009 and before that in Belgium from 1999 to 2005 as Managing Director.

Dominique Van Ackere holds a bachelor's degree in electro mechanics from VIVES Kortrijk. 

He was born in Waregem (Belgium) in 1962.