Thorsten Kroes joined ELA in May and now officially forms the new management team at ELA Container Offshore GmbH alongside Günter Albers. He succeeds Hans Gatzemeier, who played a key role in shaping and building up ELA Offshore since its foundation in 2014.
With a fresh perspective and experience on board
Thorsten brings extensive international experience in shipbuilding to the table – most recently, he was project manager for the research vessel Meteor IV at Meyer Werft. “For me, ELA combines professional challenges with my close connection to the Emsland region – it was precisely this combination that convinced me,” says Thorsten.
From a technical perspective, he sees many overlaps between his previous roles and his work at ELA Offshore: “Numerous topics from shipbuilding can be transferred to offshore projects with great success.”
A change with foresight
Hans will accompany the transition until his retirement at the end of the year and has deliberately initiated the handover early in order to gradually involve his successor in personal exchanges with customers, suppliers, and the entire ELA Group. “Thorsten brings exactly the right mix of experience, fresh ideas, and a strong identification with our values,” emphasizes Hans.
Looking ahead
Thorsten has a clear vision for the future: “There is still a lot of potential in the offshore sector, and electricity generation at sea is set to increase significantly by 2045. With our flexible, modular solutions, we are ideally positioned to meet this demand – especially because we offer our customers not only individual containers but also complete solutions including furniture and accessories.”
He is particularly looking forward to the personal interaction: “I am already involved in all regular meetings and am getting to know the team and our products better every day.”
We warmly welcome Thorsten and thank Hans for his many years of leadership and commitment!