Frauke von Polier, former Chief People Officer of the Viessmann Generations Group (VGG), has taken on a new strategic role in the company on April 1, 2026. As the company has now announced, she is now responsible for the company-wide AI transformation as well as the “anchoring of future-oriented leadership models” in VGG, its portfolio companies and across the group’s entire ecosystem. She is thereby handing over her functions as CPO and member of the Executive Board, which she has held since March 2021.
Despite her retirement as CPO, she remains part of VGG’s top management. She continues to be represented on the Board of Directors and retains her supervisory board mandates within the portfolio network, including at Schülke & Mayr, Gritec and Isoplus.
Internal succession: Desiree Castell takes over as Human Resources Director
The successor as Human Resources Director and member of the Executive Board of VGG has been resolved internally. Desiree Castell assumed the role of Chief People Officer effective April 1. Since 2021, she has been responsible for the group’s people strategy as Group VP People, Culture & Organizations.
With her, the company is relying on continuity because she knows the organization and ecosystem well and should make the transition smooth.
Before working at Viessmanns Generations Group, Castell worked, among other things, as a consultant in the area of New Work and was responsible for human resources as VP People & Culture at the accounting startup Zeitgold. She began her career at McKinsey & Company as an engagement manager.
Positions at Bertelsmann, Otto Group, Zalando and SAP
Frauke von Polier has extensive experience in the areas of digital transformation and further development of organizations. Before working as CPO, she worked at SAP as Chief Operating Officer People until the end of January 2021. In this position, she was responsible, among other things, for HR strategy, people analytics as well as HR processes and communication.
From 2011 to 2017 she worked as SVP People & Organization at Zalando and accompanied the company in a phase of strong growth from start-up to the MDax. She previously worked at the Otto Group as Head of Recruitment and at McKinsey as Senior External Advisor. Further professional positions took her to Hugo Boss and Bertelsmann Lycos, among others.
VGG continues to develop management structure with new positions
In her new role, she will drive forward the AI strategy, the development of corresponding competencies and concrete use cases at VGG. The focus is not on introducing new technology, but on redesigning the way organizations work, says von Polier on Linkedin. This is about an interaction in which human judgment and machine intelligence consciously work together.
In order to display external content, your revocable consent is required. Personal data from third-party platforms (possibly USA) may be processed. More information.
With the realignment of the management structure, the Viessmann Generations Group is anchoring artificial intelligence more firmly in its organization. The aim is to establish AI as a central lever for growth and organizational development and to set the course for an AI-supported organization. For CEO Max Viessmann it is clear: “Artificial intelligence is developing into a crucial area of transformation for our entire portfolio.”
The Viessmann Generations Group today acts as a holding and investment company for the Viessmann family of entrepreneurs, founded in 1917. After selling its core business with heating and heat pumps to the US group Carrier Global in spring 2023, the company has strategically realigned itself and has since developed a portfolio of industrial and technology investments. The group employs around 6,000 people.
Mara Marx is a volunteer at Human Resources.
