GBA GROUP Management
Steffen Walter
Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
As of January 2018, Steffen Walter is CEO of GBA Holding GmbH. Having graduated from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) with a degree in Business & Engineering (Dipl.-Wirtschaftsingenieur), he began his career as a managerial assistant at the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA). He has been involved in the laboratory and TIC business since 2001. His start as assistant to the board of directors at Institut Fresenius was followed by different positions of leadership within the SGS Group in Germany. In 2007 he gained responsibility for the operational and commercial activities concerning laboratories, inspection, and certifications in the fields of non-food, food, electrics & electronics, and automotive. Before changing to GBA Group, he served as General Manager and member of the European Management Board for Eurofins Food Division in Germany and Turkey for several years.
Dr. Sabine Gorynia
Executive Vice President Pharma & Medical Devices
Dr. Sabine Gorynia has assumed responsibility for GBA Group Life Sciences as of July 1st, 2022. With a PhD in biochemistry, Dr. Gorynia has more than 15 years of professional experience, both in research and development of pharmaceuticals as well as in the management of pharmaceutical service companies. Most recently, Dr. Gorynia successfully served as Managing Director at Charles River since 2015, and previously at Jackson Laboratories and Oncotest GmbH. She gained her first professional experience at Bayer Schering Pharma. In addition to her professional qualifications, Dr. Gorynia brings extensive management and strategic experience.
Ralf Murzen
Vice President Water & Environment Germany
Ralf Murzen has been the Managing Director at the GBA Group responsible for the Environmental Analysis Division since the year 2000. He graduated with a degree in Environmental Engineering and has been utilizing his extensive experience for the benefit of GBA since 1995. Mr. Murzen is responsible for the business operations in the field of environmental analysis. From 1986 to 1989, he worked for the company Ökolimna Gesellschaft für Ökologie und Gewässerkunde mbH as a department manager. Subsequently, he was a project leader in the fields of contaminated sites, soil, air, and water protection at the Institut für Gewässerschutz und Umgebungsüberwachung IGU, Kiel, from 1989 to 1995.
Laura Garcia Baglietto
Vice President Water & Environment International
Laura Garcia Baglietto, engineer in mechanical engineering and materials science, began her career in 2005 at Siemens in the development department and then moved to the in-house laboratory. After the laboratory activities were taken over by SGS, she held further positions in customer support, sales and as laboratory manager for environmental simulation tests. Among other things, she was responsible for setting up a new testing laboratory. She then moved to Kiwa GmbH, a testing laboratory service provider in the field of construction materials/material testing, water and environmental analysis, as Division Manager South. Before joining the GBA Group in January 2023 as Vice President Environment International, she again worked for SGS in Germany, where she was Division Manager responsible for the e-Mobility division with the environmental simulation laboratory and the battery test center near Munich.
Ole Borchert
Executive Vice President Food
As of February 2022, Ole Borchert is Executive Vice President of the Food Division at the GBA Group. In this position, he is responsible for the global business activities in the field of food analysis. Having studied Food Chemistry, he has long-term experience in the food sector. He began his career at Nestlé in their Confectionery and Bakery sector in 2001. This was followed by positions at the Baked Goods Manufacturer Aryzta as the Head of Plants Continental Europe and at Eurofins as the Managing Director of Residue and Contaminants Analysis. Most recently, until starting at the GBA Group, he was COO Food and managing Legal Entities for inhouse produced Food Trade Marks at the company Schwarz-Produktion.
Mark Piekereit
Chief Information Officer (CIO)
Mark Piekereit is the CIO of GBA Holding GmbH. Along with being responsible for the system and application infrastructure, he is leading the digital transformation of the GBA Group. Before he officially became a member of the management board in 2018, he had been supporting the GBA Group as an active advisor in a diverse range of strategic projects since October 2016. Mr. Piekereit studied business and computer science and has been actively working in the TIC industry since 2003. After years of working in the management of SGS Germany and SGS-TÜV Saar, he was more recently involved in the development and implementation of digitalization projects and the development of digital B2B platforms. Due to his long-term experience in the TIC industry, he possesses comprehensive expertise in the field as well as the necessary IT skills.
Torben Giese
Chief Strategy Officer (CSO)
Torben Giese has been working for GBA since January 2018 and is responsible for the field of Strategic Development. His main focal points in this area are on the topics of mergers & acquisitions, integration, and process-optimization in the administration. In December 2018 he assumed his position of Managing Director for the GBA Holding GmbH. In doing so, he brings along his expertise from the previous stages in his career in investment banking and business consulting. Mr. Giese studied business economics at the University of Lüneburg and abroad.
Alexander Kleinke
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
As of September 2022, Alexander Kleinke is Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at the GBA Group and responsible for all financial matters with focus on internationalization. He can draw on more than 20 years of experience in leading and developing finance departments and has worked in various industries during this time. Most recently, Alexander Kleinke was CFO at the amedes-Group, a provider of interdisciplinary and medical-diagnostic services. Prior to that, he was active as CFO at the JOST Group, among others, as well as in a leading position at Symrise, a global supplier of fragrances, flavors and cosmetic ingredients.