Former Ziehl-Abegg chairman Uwe Ziehl dies
8th June 2026
GERMANY: Fans and ventilation equipment manufacturer Ziehl-Abegg is mourning the death of its long-serving former chairman Uwe Ziehl.
The grandson of Ziehl-Abegg founder Emil Ziehl, Uwe Ziehl died on Saturday (6 June) at the age of 79.
He grew up in Künzelsau and developed an early connection to the family business, founding Ziehl industrie-elektronik GmbH as a producer of measuring and control devices in Schwäbisch Hall in 1967. One of the most important milestones during his career was bringing the family’s shareholdings together under a single holding structure. This step laid the foundation for Ziehl-Abegg’s continued development as an independent family-owned company and enabled substantial investment in research, development and manufacturing.
He went on to play a decisive role in developing Ziehl-Abegg into a globally operating technology company specialising in fans, electric motors and control systems.
Uwe Ziehl served as chairman of the supervisory board from 2005 to 2020, when his son, Dennis Ziehl, succeeded to the role.
Paying tribute, Ziehl-Abegg CEO Joachim Ley said: “Uwe Ziehl played a decisive role in shaping Ziehl-Abegg. Over decades, he guided the company with clarity, technical expertise and entrepreneurial foresight.”
