Stéphane Beemelmans will succeed Klaus Hamacher on 1 April 2026.
The former state secretary and adviser is an experienced manager, particularly in the fields of security and defence.
Focus: Executive Board, organisation
The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) has a new Deputy Chair of the Executive Board: Stéphane Beemelmans will take up the position on 1 April 2026. Beemelmans brings extensive experience as a manager of complex processes in the public sector. He previously served, among other roles, as state secretary at the German Federal Ministry of Defence (BMVg) and as managing director of PD – Berater der öffentlichen Hand.
"With his experience and in-depth industry knowledge, particularly in the fields of security and defence, he combines strategic vision with comprehensive integration skills," says Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla, Chair of the DLR Executive Board. The DLR Supervisory Board's decision to appoint Beemelmans was unanimous. After 20 years of successful service to DLR, Klaus Hamacher (65), the departing Deputy Chair of the Executive Board, now hands over his responsibilities to his successor.
Over the past years, Hamacher has helped steer DLR – including the German Space Agency at DLR, the project management agencies and research divisions. The DLR Supervisory Board thanks him for the crucial momentum he provided in aligning management and processes for the future. The Executive Board and Supervisory Board of DLR now look forward to collaborating with Beemelmans, who will continue to strengthen DLR as an independent research and development institution in the years ahead.
