OHB is expanding its Group Executive Board to include a Chief Operating Officer: Dr. Luis Alejandro Orellano will take charge of the company’s day-to-day operations starting July 1, 2026. The experienced manager joins at a time when OHB has a record order backlog and faces a unique market opportunity driven by the expansion of European space capabilities. Against this backdrop, the company is placing even greater emphasis on combining the management and implementation of complex large-scale projects with the operational scaling of industrial value creation and the expansion of group-wide technical synergies.
“Dr. Orellano is a tremendous asset to our management team. The growth phase we are currently in shows us that we have a lot to learn from other industries, particularly when it comes to scaling and industrialization. Dr. Orellano will greatly enrich our team with his skills and experience, and I am delighted that we were able to bring him on board to oversee our day-to-day operations,” explains CEO Marco Fuchs.
Robert Wethmar, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, adds: “OHB has grown at an extremely rapid pace in recent years, and this growth trajectory continues unabated. We are confident that appointing an experienced Chief Operating Officer will both strengthen and accelerate this momentum, thereby further positioning the company for the future.”
Throughout his career, Dr. Orellano has demonstrated a strong track record in building highly complex, technology-driven organizations, improving industrial performance, and establishing operating models that support sustainable growth in systemically important industries. As COO at thyssenkrupp Marine Systems, he was responsible for value creation in complex, long-term submarine and frigate programs while simultaneously modernizing the shipyards industrially—with measurable impacts on production time, costs, and quality. Subsequently, as Executive Vice President, he steered the Technology Systems division at Rohde & Schwarz back onto a sustainable growth path, significantly increasing revenue within three years and achieving a profitable result, while establishing a new operating model that also covers complex large-scale projects.
Prior to that, he spent over 17 years at DaimlerChrysler and Bombardier in technical and operational leadership roles, where he was honored with the title of “Principal Specialist”—the highest internal recognition for technical leadership within the company.
“Iam very much looking forward to my new role and to getting to know the company, the people, and the projects. For me, this move is in many ways a homecoming: As an aerospace engineer, I am returning to my professional roots—and at the same time back to an environment shaped by the systems business. Both aspects appeal to me greatly, and I look forward to shaping the next steps in our development together with the OHB team,” says Orellano.
Dr. Orellano holds a Ph.D. in aerospace engineering. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the Technical University of Munich and his Ph.D. from the University of the German Armed Forces in Munich, specializing in fluid mechanics.
