We are CWS Workwear
Founded in 1899, CWS Workwear has been dedicated to serving customers to protect their workers and the planet for 125 years. We are a leader in the workwear industry providing Workwear as a Service with customised, stylish, long-lasting and protective workwear, encompassing more than a century of innovation and service.
Embracing a circular business model, we are committed to creating a sustainable and resilient future, marking our position as a leader in the workwear industry with an European presence. Our operations span 15 countries with a dedicated team of 5,300 professionals across more than 100 locations. Our infrastructure includes 30+ state-of-the-art industrial laundries in Europe. This enables us to serve our extensive customer base of over 35,000 customers across all CWS Workwear markets, providing our services to over 1.5 million people on a daily basis. Leveraging our local presence, we thrive for a close and local partnership with our customers.
Our commitment to sustainability is at the heart of everything we do, guided by an ambitious roadmap aimed at reducing both our own and our customers' CO2 emissions along the entire value chain. By fostering a 360° customer experience and maintaining proximity to our clients, we ensure our workwear solutions meet specific needs, support responsible production practices and significantly reduce carbon footprints.
"Work your style. For you, for your business, for the planet."
Meet our Executive Leadership Team
Hartmut Engler
Chief Executive Officer
Hartmut Engler joined CWS Workwear as Chief Executive Officer in March 2021. In June 2023, he was also appointed as Treasurer of ETSA, the European Textile Services Association. Hartmut Engler looks back on more than 25 years of professional experience in the service sector. During his career, he held several management positions at OTIS, the global market leader of elevators and escalators, and was Chairman of the Management Board of OTIS Germany until 2014. In 2014, he was also Vice President at UTC Gebäude- and Industriesysteme. After two years as a member of the Executive Board at Dussmann AG & Co. KGaA, Hartmut Engler joined Gegenbauer Holding SE & Co.KG, a leading national facility and management company, as a member of the Executive Board and Chief Digital Officer. Hartmut Engler holds a Master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Technical University of Berlin and has an Executive MBA from the University of Bradford.
Denis Spiegel
Chief Financial Officer
Denis Spiegel joined CWS Workwear as Finance Director / CFO in April 2019. Under his responsibility, CWS Workwear has a proven track record to increase profitability significantly and to deliver on budget KPI targets. Denis brings more than 20 years of professional experience in private equity and stock-listed companies. Denis is a team-oriented CFO and has managed mid-size (Mittelstand) companies in the areas of finance & accounting, FP&A, controlling, costing & pricing incl. product calculation, net working capital management, treasury, tax and payroll. He is familiar with various industries such as textile services (5 years at Haniel / CWS), construction and project-business (14 years Bilfinger), food services and distribution manufacturing (3 years Franke).
Axel Schulten
Chief People Officer
Axel is the Chief People Officer of CWS Workwear. Having been a part of the CWS and Haniel universe since 2013, he has worked in several international leadership functions within the Human Resources area. He has developed and executed HR strategies that leveraged internal standardisation of HR tools, processes and systems to ensure growth ambitions and market differentiation. At CWS Workwear, his mission is to drive cultural transformation to create a great an open workplace environment geared towards high performance and entrepreneurship with a state-of-the-art workforce and HR processes that meet best-in-class benchmarks.
Henning Siemens
Chief Business Process Officer
As Chief Business Process Officer, Henning is responsible for architecting and implementing our CWS Workwear blueprint, incl. the harmonisation of processes across all our countries, enhancing and automising processes in IT systems and designing a data-driven reference model. Before moving to his new role, which he has since beginning of 2024, Henning spent his professional career in numerous positions at CWS. From joining CWS in 2005 as Project Manager Key Account Management, to Lead Business Development, Regional Manager Operations, and eventually being responsible for the CWS Workwear Germany, Austria and Switzerland region as Regional Managing Director from January 2020 to December 2024.
Heike Seltmann
Chief Sales Officer
Heike Seltmann has over 25 years of experience in direct B2B Sales. She started in 2000 at Mannesmann Mobilfunk GmbH (Vodafone Deutschland GmbH) and went through all Sales stations, from Sales Assistant, Sales Representative to Regional Sales Mnager for North/East Germany. In 2007, she joined CWS as one of eight Regional Sales Managers. After various sales management positions within the Workwear and Hygiene sector in Germany, she took over the international task of building up new customers for the CWS Hygiene in all CWS countries in 2017 and introduced hybrid selling in New Customer Sales in 2020. In 2021, Heike moved to CWS Workwear to promote New Customer Sales and to introduce and implement hybrid selling. Heike has been a member of the CWS Workwear Executive Leadership Team since 2023 and, as CSO (Chief Sales Officer), is responsible for standardisation in Sales in an Excellence Function.
Oliver Mäske
Chief Operating Officer
In his role as Chief Operating Officer, Oliver is responsible for enhancing productivity in various areas across CWS Workwear, including laundries, warehouses, and set-up centers. A significant part of his duties involves increasing the level of automation to optimise work processes and boost efficiency. Oliver is also heavily involved in change management and transition processes. He develops strategies to successfully implement new technologies and work methods, facilitating CWS Workwear’s adaptation to evolving market conditions. He drives continuous improvement and fosters a culture of innovation and excellence. With his commitment to excellence and passion for innovation, Oliver ensures that the company stays at the forefront and continues to grow. Before joining CWS Workwear, Oliver spent his professional career at DYWIDAG-Systems International (DSI), United Technologies Building & Industrial Systems, and almost a decade at OTIS.
Marius Keller
Chief Transformation Officer
As Chief Transformation Officer, Marius is responsible for CWS Workwear’s overarching strategy driving transformation and change with a clear focus on value creation, growth and objectives. Marius is known as an impact- and solution-oriented leader with a strong can-do attitude and also heads our CWS Workwear Marketing, QESH, CI and Communications teams. Before joining CWS Workwear in January 2023, Marius was Senior Investment Manager at Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH and was responsible for portfolio management and M&A transactions, among others. He also brings extensive experience from his former employer Roland Berger, where he was leading projects in regard to strategy development, portfolio review, strategic transformation and reorganization as Senior Project Manager.
Carsten Best
Regional Managing Director DACH & CWS Healthcare
Carsten is heading our CWS Workwear business in Germany, Austria and Switzerland (DACH) as the Regional Managing Director (RMD). In his regions, he is responsible for all our Operations (laundries, service depots) sites, Sales (Hunting and Farming), Service, and Customer Care, among others. Carsten is building on the strong fundament we have in DACH and sets a strong focus on our customers. With clearly distributed responsibilities and Excellence Functions reporting to Carsten, he is continuing our way towards continuous improvement and supporting competences within the CWS Workwear organisation. Apart from his duties as CWS Workwear RMD DACH, he is also responsible for the CWS Healthcare business, a CWS Workwear company. CWS Healthcare is a leading service provider for hygienic and safe textile solutions for care facilities, fire brigades and rescue services in Germany. Carsten has a strong track record in his working field and was previously employed at companies like Rentokil Initial, ISS and Berendsen.
Anders Magnusson
Regional Managing Director BNL/SWE/IRE
Anders joined CWS Workwear in May 2024. As Regional Managing Director (RMD), Anders is responsible for our Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Sweden and Ireland regions. He brings many years of experience in the B2B sector as well as in leading and managing positions. Anders is known for driving change and transformation and together with his teams, he is defining and aligning CWS Workwear’s regional and local organisations with a global view. It is his mission to continuing developing our Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Sweden and Ireland regions in terms of best practices and strong infrastructures to provide our customers with best-in-class services and products. Before joining CWS Workwear, was holding the Chief Transformation Officer I&P at Takkt AG and the CEO of Gerdmans Inredningar AB positions.
Laurent Cauvin
Regional Managing Director CEE
Laurent, who joined CWS Workwear in April 2024, is the Regional Managing Director (RMD) Central Eastern Europe. His mission is to continue motivating the teams and supporting them in meeting their full potential and the overall objectives for CWS Workwear in Central Eastern Europe. He is striving to further optimising internal operations, financial returns and most importantly continuing making our customers satisfied with our products and services. Laurent looks back at more than two decades of professional experience, particularly in the area of Sales and Delivery as well as in managing and leading position. Before joining CWS Workwear, Laurent was the Managing Director Belgium at BauWatch – a Haniel company.
Sustainability – at the core of everything we do
At CWS Workwear, sustainability part of our company's DNA. We proudly champion a circular business model along four key strategic pillars: sustainable transformation, responsible supply chain, eco-friendly products, and comprehensive end-of-life textile infrastructure. Our sustainable transformation initiatives focus on reducing our carbon footprint in logistics and operations by utilising energy-efficient processes and renewable energy. Our supply chain emphasizes transparency and partnership, with a strong commitment to ethical practices and environmental protection. Our services and products are the cornerstone of our Workwear as a Service model, crafted from resource-efficient materials and designed for durability and recyclability. With our circular business model in mind, developing a comprehensive end-of-life infrastructure for our entire portfolio is one of our four key priorities, ensuring the reuse and recycling of our textiles and minimising waste. Together, these pillars form a comprehensive approach to a more sustainable, responsible future, making us the preferred choice for businesses committed to environmental and social sustainability.