German mineral waters maker Gerolsteiner has appointed Nils Hemmerle as its new CEO.

He takes over from Roel Annega who is leaving the business at the end of August.

The group announced Annega's departure earlier this year, which it then said was due to “personal reasons”.

Hemmerle joins Gerolsteiner from home and hair care products business Henkel Consumer Brands, where he is managing director for the company's operations in central and eastern Europe.

Since joining Henkel in 2004, Hemmerle has also been vice president of sales for Europe at the business and held other senior marketing, sales and management roles, Gerolsteiner said.

Dr Stefan Schmitz, chairman of the Gerolsteiner advisory board, said: "His [Hemmerle's] more than 20 years of experience in sales, marketing, and general management roles, as well as his expertise in developing and managing strong brands, are an ideal fit for the next steps in our corporate strategy and the expansion of our mineral water and soft drink segments.”

Gerolsteiner produces a range of mineral waters sold under its own brand. Its portfolio also includes spritzers, lemonades, flavoured waters and cola-based drinks.

Founded in 1888, the company employs more than 850 people.

German brewery Bitburger Group holds a majority stake in Gerolsteiner. Industrial gases supplier Buse KSW GmbH & Co. owns 32% and the remaining equity is in private free float.

Hammerle said: “Gerolsteiner already demonstrates in many areas what entrepreneurial courage and continuous development can look like in practice. I am very excited to become part of such an ambitious company with a unique brand and to help shape its future development.”

The group posted its annual results for 2025 in February. In the year, it saw revenues grow 2.7% to €348.8m ($411.6m) and sales volumes rise 3.4% to 8.3 million hectolitres.

"This means Gerolsteiner is performing above the market average overall", it said at the time.

In the year, its core business was "in line with the market", it said. Citing Nielsen data, the company said sales volumes rose 0.9% and revenue increased 3%.

“The results show that we are setting the right priorities with our innovation strategy,” Annega said at the time. “As market leader, we are systematically developing our portfolio and investing in brand, production, energy, and processes as the foundation for long-term competitiveness – in a market that is structurally evolving and where consumer preferences are increasingly changing.”