CWS Workwear industry professionals wearing ProKnit ProBasics workwear

About CWS Workwear

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We are CWS Workwear

Founded in 1899, CWS Workwear has been dedicated to serving customers to protect their workers and the planet for 125 years. We are a leader in the workwear industry providing Workwear as a Service with customised, stylish, long-lasting and protective workwear, encompassing more than a century of innovation and service. Embracing a circular business model, we are committed to creating a sustainable and resilient future, marking our position as a leader in the workwear industry with an European presence. Our operations span 15 countries with a dedicated team of 5,300 professionals across more than 100 locations. Our infrastructure includes 30+ state-of-the-art industrial laundries in Europe. This enables us to serve our extensive customer base of over 35,000 customers across all CWS Workwear markets, providing our services to over 1.5 million people on a daily basis. Leveraging our local presence, we thrive for a close and local partnership with our customers. Our commitment to sustainability is at the heart of everything we do, guided by an ambitious roadmap aimed at reducing both our own and our customers’ CO2 emissions along the entire value chain. By fostering a 360° customer experience and maintaining proximity to our clients, we ensure our workwear solutions meet specific needs, support responsible production practices and significantly reduce carbon footprints. “Work your style. For you, for your business, for the planet.”

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Meet our Executive Leadership Team

Hartmut Engler

Chief Executive Officer

Hartmut Engler joined CWS Workwear as Chief Executive Officer in March 2021. In June 2023, he was also appointed as Treasurer of ETSA, the European Textile Services Association. Hartmut Engler looks back on more than 25 years of professional experience in the service sector. During his career, he held several management positions at OTIS, the global market leader of elevators and escalators, and was Chairman of the Management Board of OTIS Germany until 2014. In 2014, he was also Vice President at UTC Gebäude- and Industriesysteme. After two years as a member of the Executive Board at Dussmann AG & Co. KGaA, Hartmut Engler joined Gegenbauer Holding SE & Co.KG, a leading national facility and management company, as a member of the Executive Board and Chief Digital Officer. Hartmut Engler holds a Master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Technical University of Berlin and has an Executive MBA from the University of Bradford.

Klaus-Peter Peya

Chief Financial Officer

Klaus-Peter Peya joined CWS Workwear as Finance Director / CFO in April 2026. In this role, he is responsible for the global finance organisation and plays a key role in shaping the company’s strategic development, with a particular focus on achieving sustainable and profitable growth. He sees the finance function as a strategic business partner that drives international growth initiatives and contributes to the creation of sustainable value.

Klaus-Peter has many years of international experience in finance, audit and corporate management. After studying Business Education with a focus on Finance & Accounting at the University of Mannheim, he started his career at KPMG in Corporate Audit. He then held various management positions for almost 15 years in predominantly Anglo-Saxon, international companies, most recently as Sector CFO at the listed company Diploma PLC in London, where he was responsible for the International Seals division.

Axel Schulten

Chief People Officer

Axel is the Chief People Officer of CWS Workwear. Having been a part of the CWS and Haniel universe since 2013, he has worked in several international leadership functions within the Human Resources area. He has developed and executed HR strategies that leveraged internal standardisation of HR tools, processes and systems to ensure growth ambitions and market differentiation. At CWS Workwear, his mission is to drive cultural transformation to create a great an open workplace environment geared towards high performance and entrepreneurship with a state-of-the-art workforce and HR processes that meet best-in-class benchmarks.

Henning Siemens

Chief Business Process Officer

As Chief Business Process Officer, Henning is responsible for architecting and implementing our CWS Workwear blueprint, incl. the harmonisation of processes across all our countries, enhancing and automising processes in IT systems and designing a data-driven reference model. Before moving to his new role, which he has since beginning of 2024, Henning spent his professional career in numerous positions at CWS. From joining CWS in 2005 as Project Manager Key Account Management, to Lead Business Development, Regional Manager Operations, and eventually being responsible for the CWS Workwear Germany, Austria and Switzerland region as Regional Managing Director from January 2020 to December 2024.

Claudia Kärcher

Chief Transformation Officer

As Chief Transformation Officer, Claudia Kärcher is responsible for the strategic development of CWS Workwear, providing targeted impulses and direction for transformation and sustainable growth.

In her role, she leads our Strategy, Continuous Improvement (CI), QESH, Sustainability/Responsibility, and Corporate Communications teams. Claudia aligns strategic initiatives with the needs of our customers and our business objectives, defines clear priorities and common goals, and drives the implementation of our Value Creation Plan with all stakeholders.

Together with her teams, Claudia ensures that CWS Workwear remains competitive even in a dynamic market environment. Before joining CWS Workwear, Claudia worked at Ayvens (formerly LeasePlan / ALD Automotive) as Strategy & Transformation Director and was part of the German management team. Prior to that, she was Senior Project Manager at Roland Berger, where she led international projects for customers from various industries.

Oliver Mäske

Chief Operating Officer

In his role as Chief Operating Officer, Oliver is responsible for enhancing productivity in various areas across CWS Workwear, including laundries, warehouses, and set-up centers. A significant part of his duties involves increasing the level of automation to optimise work processes and boost efficiency.

Oliver is also heavily involved in change management and transition processes. He develops strategies to successfully implement new technologies and work methods, facilitating CWS Workwear’s adaptation to evolving market conditions. He drives continuous improvement and fosters a culture of innovation and excellence.

With his commitment to excellence and passion for innovation, Oliver ensures that the company stays at the forefront and continues to grow. Before joining CWS Workwear, Oliver spent his professional career at DYWIDAG-Systems International (DSI), United Technologies Building & Industrial Systems, and almost a decade at OTIS.

Marius Keller

Regional Managing Director (BeNeLux, Sweden & Ireland)

Marius Keller joined CWS Workwear in January 2023. Before taking on the role as Regional Managing Director (RMD) for our BeNeLux, Sweden and Ireland regions, he was responsible for driving CWS Workwear’s strategy & transformation journey.

As RMD, Marius aligns our Northwest regions with our overarching CWS Workwear strategy. Together with his teams such as Sales, Customer Care and Service, he continues to promote value creation and best practices, ensuring a best-in-class customer experience and meeting the customers’ needs.

Before joining CWS Workwear, Marius was Senior Investment Manager at Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH and responsible for portfolio management and M&A transactions, among others. He also brings extensive experience from his former roles at Roland Berger, where he was leading projects in regard to strategy development, portfolio review, strategic transformation and reorganisation.

Carsten Best

Regional Managing Director DACH & CWS Healthcare

Carsten is heading our CWS Workwear business in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (DACH) as the Regional Managing Director (RMD). In his regions, he is responsible for all our Operations (laundries, service depots) sites, Sales (Hunting and Farming), Service, and Customer Care, among others.

Carsten is building on the strong fundament we have in DACH and sets a strong focus on our customers. With clearly distributed responsibilities and Excellence Functions reporting to Carsten, he is continuing our way towards continuous improvement and supporting competences within the CWS Workwear organisation.

Apart from his duties as CWS Workwear RMD DACH, he is also responsible for the CWS Healthcare business, a CWS Workwear company. CWS Healthcare is a leading service provider for hygienic and safe textile solutions for care facilities, fire brigades and rescue services in Germany.

Carsten has a strong track record in his working field and was previously employed at companies like Rentokil Initial, ISS and Berendsen.

Dejan Buhovac

Regional Managing Director Central and Eastern Europe

Dejan heads our business in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) since October 2024. In his regions, he is responsible for Sales, Service, and Customer Care, among others. Dejan joined CWS Workwear in 2021 and since then has celebrated many successes in his managing regions together with his teams. He was managing our businesses in Slovenia and Croatia before taking over responsibility for the whole CEE region.

Dejan is an experienced manager and team leader with many years of professional experience in various areas. He started his career at Gorenje, a leading European home appliance manufacturer, where he was part of both the technical and investment department. He was also leading the technical department at the City Hotel in Ljubljana and spent several years at OTIS Elevators where he was responsible for Slovenia as Managing Director and later as Regional Managing Director for the Balkan regions.

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Sustainability – at the core of everything we do At CWS Workwear, sustainability part of our company's DNA. We proudly champion a circular business model along four key strategic pillars: sustainable transformation, responsible supply chain, eco-friendly products, and comprehensive end-of-life textile infrastructure. Our sustainable transformation initiatives focus on reducing our carbon footprint in logistics and operations by utilising energy-efficient processes and renewable energy. Our supply chain emphasizes transparency and partnership, with a strong commitment to ethical practices and environmental protection. Our services and products are the cornerstone of our Workwear as a Service model, crafted from resource-efficient materials and designed for durability and recyclability. With our circular business model in mind, developing a comprehensive end-of-life infrastructure for our entire portfolio is one of our four key priorities, ensuring the reuse and recycling of our textiles and minimising waste. Together, these pillars form a comprehensive approach to a more sustainable, responsible future, making us the preferred choice for businesses committed to environmental and social sustainability.