Bechtle mourns the loss of its founder, Gerhard Schick

Neckarsulm, 6 March 2025 – Bechtle’s co-founder, long-time anchor shareholder and former Chair of the Executive and Supervisory Boards, Gerhard Schick passed away on 4 March 2025 at the age of 84. The Executive Board, Supervisory Board, and more than 15,800 employees across Europe mourn the loss of an extraordinary entrepreneur. With his unwavering values—above all, integrity, determination, and reliability—Gerhard Schick left a lasting mark on Bechtle’s culture and development.

“On behalf of the company and all our employees, we extend our deepest sympathies to the family of Gerhard Schick. He played a defining role in shaping Bechtle. He was a visionary entrepreneur, a businessman of the old school who upheld virtues that have become increasingly rare. The values our founders have cultivated remain the foundation of our company to this day. Gerhard Schick’s legacy lives on, not only in our memories, but in the way we conduct business every day. With the utmost respect for his remarkable achievements, we will continue his life’s work at Bechtle,” says Dr Thomas Olemotz, CEO, Bechtle AG.

Klaus Winkler, Chair of the Bechtle AG Supervisory Board: “The success of Bechtle is inextricably linked to the drive, business acumen and strategic foresight of Gerhard Schick. He was more than a co-founder, CEO and Supervisory Board member, he was a role model, a visionary and a source of inspiration. With his sound judgement and steadfast principles, he laid the foundation for Bechtle’s long-term success. As an anchor shareholder, he reinforced his unwavering belief in the company’s future. As the Supervisory Board, we see it as our duty to uphold and carry forward what he built with and for Bechtle. We will actively work to ensure his distinctive mark, his ideas and his convictions continue to shape Bechtle for years to come.”

A life’s work

Born in 1940, Gerhard Schick co-founded Bechtle alongside Ralf Klenk and Professor Klaus von Jan on 21 July 1983 in Heilbronn. He was part of the company’s leadership from the very beginning and, in 2000, assumed the role of CEO of the now publicly-listed Bechtle AG. From March 2004 to 2012—and again on an interim basis from late 2013 to June 2014—he served as Chair of the Bechtle Supervisory Board before being appointed Honorary Chair.

Gerhard Schick was instrumental in growing Bechtle from a regional business into Germany’s largest systems integrator and an internationally recognised IT service provider. He shaped the principles that continue to define Bechtle today, in particular our identity as a decentralised community—a structure that unites independently managed companies with the strength of a powerful group.

In recognition of his outstanding contributions as an entrepreneur and his civic engagement, Gerhard Schick was awarded the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 2005. He also received multiple business honours, and was named an honorary citizen of his hometown, Gaildorf.