Leadership change at Axpo wind division

Katja Stommel, CEO of Axpo subsidiary Volkswind and Head of the Wind Division, will step down from her roles at her own request effective 1 November 2025. She will be succeeded by Klaus Heckenberger, most recently Managing Director at Eurowind Energy GmbH, who is an experienced executive in the wind energy sector.  

Since the foundation of Volkswind in 1993, Katja Stommel has played a decisive role in shaping the company’s development. At the time, Volkswind was among the pioneers of wind energy in Germany. Today, Volkswind is part of the Axpo Group and an industry leader in Europe, having developed over 1.6 GW of sustainable electricity across more than 90 wind farms. 

Katja Stommel’s successor as head of the Wind Division and Volkswind will be Klaus Heckenberger. A proven leader with 15 years’ experience in wind energy, Heckenberger earned a degree in Electrical Engineering (Dipl.-Ing.) from the University of Karlsruhe before studying wind energy technology and management as well as hydrogen at the University of Oldenburg. He has worked in the renewable energies sector since 2010, with a focus on wind energy. Most recently he was Managing Director at Eurowind Energy GmbH, and previously at UKA Nord and Energiequelle. Earlier in his career, he held various management positions in telecommunications at Corning, Telia, and Siemens. 

Leadership change as of 1 November 2025

Klaus Heckenberger will join Axpo at the beginning of October and take over as Division Head Wind and CEO Volkswind on 1 November 2025. Katja Stommel will support the handover during a short transition period and then dedicate herself fully to the Stommel family office, focusing on agriculture and forestry. 

Axpo Deputy CEO and Head of Generation & Distribution Andy Heinz said, “With Katja’s departure, we are saying goodbye to an entrepreneur who has shaped the success story of wind energy within Axpo over the past ten years. We thank her sincerely for her contribution.

“At the same time, we look to the future. Wind power is a central element of the modern energy mix and significantly contributes to advancing decarbonisation. With Klaus Heckenberger, we are gaining an experienced leader with great passion for wind energy, who will continue to develop this important business area with determination.” 

Axpo is active across the entire wind energy value chain, from the development, construction and management of plants to marketing the electricity they produce. The expansion of renewable energy sources as a contribution to the energy transition is a core pillar of the company’s strategy.