Growth sector gets a boss Celia Pelaz Becomes CEO "Defence & New Space" at Schaeffler

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Celia Pelaz will become CEO "Defence & New Space" at Schaeffler on October 1, 2026. In this role, she will assume leadership of the management of Schaeffler subsidiary STech Defence GmbH and will focus on the areas of defence and new space in the future.

Alongside Celia Pelaz, Manfred Homm holds the position of CTO. The CFO role is currently being temporarily filled by Dr. Christopher Köth. Since the beginning of 2025, Celia Pelaz has been Chief Operating Officer (COO) and a member of the Management Board at Spire Global, Inc., a worldwide leader in satellite data, analytics, and intelligence.

STech Defence GmbH, founded at the end of 2025 as an independent subsidiary of Schaeffler AG, positions itself as the preferred partner of the defence and aerospace industry in Germany and Europe. Building on the Schaeffler Group's long-standing expertise in broad product development, manufacturing, and industrialisation, as well as its product families, it focuses on the development and provision of innovative solutions and products.

Many years of experience in the aerospace and defence sector

Pelaz began her professional career in 2001 at the European aerospace and defence group EADS, holding various positions there and later at Airbus Defence & Space (AD&S) until mid-2014. Subsequently, she served as Head of Transformation & Corporate Secretary at AD&S until early 2016, where she was responsible for overseeing the carve-out to separate defence electronics activities, which later became Hensoldt AG. Starting in early 2016, she served as Head of International Development, Strategy & Corporate Functions at Hensoldt, before taking on the role of Head of Strategic Business Development and later the Division Spectrum Dominance & Airborne Solutions. In July 2021, Pelaz was appointed Chief Strategy Officer and member of the Executive Board of Hensoldt AG. Most recently, she served as Chief Operating Officer (COO) there until August 2024.

Pelaz studied Technical Engineering in Economic and Industrial Organisation at the "Escuela Universitaria de Industria, Comercio y Navegación de Bilbao." She holds both Spanish and German citizenship.

Defence and space business to become a growth sector

Klaus Rosenfeld, Chairman of the Executive Board of Schaeffler AG, says: "We are very pleased to have secured Celia Pelaz, one of the most distinguished and experienced managers in the European defence and aerospace industry, for Schaeffler. With her experience, expertise, and leadership skills, she will make an important contribution as an internationally seasoned expert to building and expanding the defence and aerospace business of the Schaeffler Group and shaping this important new growth field with a forward-looking approach. As a Motion Technology Company, Schaeffler is uniquely positioned among international suppliers to achieve significant growth in the areas of defence and New Space."

Schaeffler AG aims to achieve a revenue share of ten percent in new growth areas outside its core business by 2035. These include areas such as humanoid robotics, defence, and new space.