Andreas Matthä, who has led ÖBB as chief executive officer since 2016, will continue in the role until 30 June 2027. The decision maintains continuity at the top of the group during a period shaped by budgetary constraints, pressure on rail freight markets and ongoing operational challenges across the network.
At ÖBB Produktion, which is responsible for train operations and employs all train drivers, the current management structure remains unchanged. Ursula Zechner, managing director since 2021, received an extension of her contract and will continue to jointly lead the company together with Fabian Fußeis.
Changes were announced at Rail Cargo Austria. Clemens Först will leave the ÖBB Group at the end of April 2026, following completion of the annual financial statements, after almost a decade at the head of the freight subsidiary. His responsibilities will be redistributed, with Bettina Castillo taking primary responsibility for financial matters and the ongoing restructuring programme. The management board of Rail Cargo Austria will be reduced to two members, consisting of Bettina Castillo and Christoph Grasl.
Further adjustments concern the supervisory boards of ÖBB subsidiaries. From 1 January 2026, Andreas Matthä will assume the chair of the supervisory board of ÖBB-Infrastruktur. At the same time, ÖBB chief financial officer Manuela Waldner will take over as chair of the supervisory boards of ÖBB-Personenverkehr and Rail Cargo Austria.
In the holding company, Georg Schatz will return to ÖBB to lead group controlling at ÖBB-Holding. Schatz most recently worked as Head of Global Group Controlling at Stoelzle Glass Group and previously held several controlling positions within ÖBB, including at Rail Cargo Austria. He succeeds Markus Binder-Krieglstein, who will leave the group at the end of the year.
