Orbituary for KHD’s CTO Matthias Mersmann

Cologne, Germany, February 13, 2026

On the morning of Thursday, February 12, 2026, KHD’s Chief Technology Officer Matthias Mersmann passed away.

It is with deep dismay and great sadness that we bid farewell to Matthias, who has significantly shaped the technological development of our company over many years.

Matthias was part of our company from 1995 to 2008 and returned as Chief Technology Officer in February 2020. In both phases, he shaped KHD with his extraordinary technological ambition, visionary thinking and passion for innovation.

Developing solutions to decarbonize the cement industry was much more than a project for him – it was a personal mission. For more than two decades, he drove this future topic forward with vision, with scientific curiosity, strategic focus, and great commitment.

Matthias was inspiring, innovative and a visionary thinker. Matthias was warmhearted, humorous, and true to life. A positive person enjoying life. He could inspire, convince, discuss – and just as well listen. He accepted complex questions as a challenge. For him, the solution was always the priority.

Even during his long, serious illness, he showed us all what courage, confidence and the will to fight mean. With his incomparably positive attitude, he continued to participate in discussions and decisions within our company as far as he could. We are losing not just an outstanding CTO, but a person who acted with attitude, intelligence and humanity.

Our deepest condolences go out to his wife Geli, as well as his daughters Lisa and Lilly.

We are grateful for the time we spent together and will always keep Matthias in our best memories.

Management Board of KHD Humboldt Wedag International AG
Executive Management of Humboldt Wedag GmbH