Christian Bako appointed new CEO of Saint-Gobain Germany & Austria

Saint-Gobain is implementing a planned leadership transition: Raimund Heinl, CEO of the German and Austrian organization since January 2019, will hand over responsibility to Christian Bako on December 1, 2025. Bako most recently served as Vice President Marketing & Development for the Saint-Gobain Group.

Raimund Heinl began his career with Saint-Gobain in 1986 in the Reinforcement Fibers/Technical Fabrics division. His professional journey took him to pipe casting and the company’s former distribution division before returning to Technical Fabrics, a business unit he led globally from 2007 to the end of 2018. In 2019, he assumed the newly created role of CEO Saint-Gobain Germany & Austria. Since then, he has successfully guided the company through the COVID-19 pandemic, the energy crisis during the war in Ukraine, and the current construction downturn. One of his major achievements was the development of Saint-Gobain Solutions, an integrated sales model that brings together all Saint-Gobain brands as a comprehensive offering for customers—from insulation to drywall, construction chemicals, and glazing. Under his leadership, the modernization and digitalization of production sites also laid important foundations for the company’s future.

“Under the most challenging conditions, we defended and strengthened Saint-Gobain’s market position in Germany and Austria,” Heinl summarizes. “Despite the material and energy crises and the collapse in new residential construction, we continued to improve our profitability. I am handing over to Christian a first-class team that has laid the groundwork for sustainable success in Germany and Austria.”

Christian Bako brings 20 years of industry experience. After studying business administration, he began his career at window and door technology manufacturer Roto Frank, where he ultimately served as Managing Director France. Following a position at VBH, a leading distributor of door and window hardware, he joined Saint-Gobain in 2017 as Chief Digital Officer of the European Glass division. He went on to serve as Managing Director of Glassolutions Germany and Managing Director of Saint-Gobain Abrasives for Central Europe. Since 2023, he has been a member of the Saint-Gobain Group’s Executive Committee in Paris, responsible for global marketing.

For Christian Bako, the priority is to unlock new potential together with the German and Austrian teams in a challenging market environment:
“I want to thank Raimund Heinl for setting a clear course. We will build on this foundation and align Saint-Gobain Germany & Austria even more closely with the needs and satisfaction of our customers. That means listening, shortening decision paths, and empowering our teams so good ideas can quickly deliver impact. My guiding principle is simple: customer value comes before internal views — and good leadership begins with listening. This perspective will drive our decisions and actions. With our new LEAD & GROW strategy, we are bundling our portfolio into integrated solutions that simplify projects and create measurable value, with a clear focus on innovation and sustainability.”

David Molho, CEO Northern Europe Region of the Saint-Gobain Group:
“Raimund Heinl has left a profound mark during his long career at Saint-Gobain. I want to express my sincere thanks for his exceptional contributions and remarkable achievements across all the positions he has held. His results-oriented mindset and strategic vision—combined with a hands-on operational approach, deep market knowledge, and personal commitment to our customers—have been instrumental throughout his leadership roles. With Christian Bako, we are welcoming a CEO who understands our business from multiple perspectives. His vision of consistent customer centricity and the integration of our unique product portfolio fully align with our LEAD & GROW strategy and represent exactly the right approach for today’s market challenges.”