Bernd Löher begins his second term as CIVD President. Thomas Siegert becomes Vice President. Jan Francke and Matjaž Grm join the Board. Long-serving Vice President Dr Holger Siebert honoured with the Gold Medal of Honour on his retirement.
The members of the Caravaning Industrie Verband (CIVD) have elected Bernd Löher President of the industry association. This marks Löher’s second term at the helm of the CIVD, having previously served as President from 2023 until the beginning of 2026. As part of the regular Board elections, Alexander Leopold, Thomas Siegert and Jürgen Vöhringer were also confirmed in their positions. Jan Francke and Matjaž Grm were newly elected to the association’s highest governing body.
With Bernd Löher (Director of Business Development, Eura Mobil GmbH and Trigano Deutschland), an acknowledged industry expert once again takes the helm of the CIVD. Löher has more than two decades of experience in the caravanning industry and has been actively involved in various association bodies for many years. From 2020 to 2023, he was responsible for Finance as a Board member, before serving as President of the association from 2023 until the beginning of 2026.
“I would like to thank the members of the CIVD, also on behalf of the entire Board, for the great trust they have placed in us. The caravanning industry has developed extremely successfully in recent years and has impressively demonstrated its tremendous appeal. At the same time, we face important economic, political and technological challenges,” says Bernd Löher. “Our task as a Board is to work together with the association’s members to create the right conditions for the continued successful development of the caravanning industry. We want to represent the interests of our industry with a strong voice, foster innovation and continue to strengthen the long-term future of our sector.”
Thomas Siegert (Westfalia Mobil GmbH) will take on the role of Vice President. Like Alexander Leopold (Erwin Hymer Group SE) and Jürgen Vöhringer (Vöhringer GmbH & Co. KG), he was also confirmed in his position on the Board.
Bernhard Kibler (Dethleffs GmbH & Co. KG) chose not to stand for re-election. Former Vice President Dr Holger Siebert also did not stand again as he enters retirement. With Jan Francke (Erwin Hymer Group SE) and Matjaž Grm (Knaus Tabbert AG), two further experienced senior executives from the caravanning industry will now join the CIVD Board.
New Board assigns responsibilities
At its inaugural meeting, the newly elected CIVD Board agreed the allocation of responsibilities. In addition to responsibility for Technical Affairs, Environment and Infrastructure, Thomas Siegert will also serve as Vice President. Alexander Leopold remains responsible for Export. Jürgen Vöhringer will continue to represent the interests of the supplier industry. Jan Francke will take responsibility for Finance, while Matjaž Grm will oversee Marketing and Public Relations.
Jan Francke and Matjaž Grm join the CIVD Board
Jan Francke, COO of the Erwin Hymer Group, joins the CIVD Board for the first time. “Being elected to the CIVD Board is a great honour for me and at the same time an exciting responsibility. I would like to thank the members for the trust they have placed in me,” says Jan Francke. “A strong and well-positioned association is of central importance to our industry. The CIVD brings together the different players in our sector, unites their interests and provides important impetus for the industry’s continued development. I look forward to contributing my experience and working together with my fellow Board members and the association’s members to safeguard the competitiveness and appeal of our industry over the long term.”
Also newly elected to the Board is Matjaž Grm, CSO of Knaus Tabbert AG. He will be responsible for the association’s Marketing and Public Relations activities. “I would like to sincerely thank the CIVD members for their trust and am delighted to have been
elected to the Board. Caravanning stands for freedom, individuality and a distinctive way of travelling. It is precisely this appeal that is inspiring more and more people. Communicating this fascination while convincingly conveying the social and economic significance of our industry is one of the CIVD’s key tasks,” says Grm. “The association has carried out highly successful communications and marketing work in recent years. I look forward to continuing along this path together with the Board and the CIVD team and to further raising the profile of our industry.”
Dr Holger Siebert steps down after 28 years on the Board
With the retirement of Dr Holger Siebert, the CIVD bids farewell to one of the defining figures of the caravanning industry. His career in the sector began at Bürstner. He subsequently spent many years as Managing Director of Eura Mobil, where he played a major role in shaping the company’s successful development. Dr Siebert had been a member of the association’s Board since 1998 and, as the Board member responsible for Marketing and Public Relations, contributed his extensive industry expertise to the CIVD’s work for almost three decades.
In recognition of his exceptional commitment to the association and the caravanning industry, the CIVD presented Dr Siebert with the Gold Medal of Honour, the association’s highest distinction, at its General assembly.
In his tribute, former CIVD President Hermann Pfaff praised Dr Siebert not only as a highly knowledgeable industry expert and an important figure in shaping the association’s work, but above all as someone whose personality and humanity have left their mark on the CIVD and the caravanning industry over many decades.
For further information about caravanning, please visit our web site:
www.civd.de, where there are also photos available for downloading.
About Caravaning Industrie Verband e. V.
Caravaning Industrie Verband (CIVD) is the trade association for the industrial arm of the German caravanning sector. Our members include German and European caravan and motor caravan manufacturers, numerous caravan and motor caravan supply vendors and service providers, as well as public institutions and associations. Founded in 1962, CIVD represents the interests of the German caravanning industry for all matters of concern to its members, through lobbying and other communication measures directed at German and European political institutions and government authorities. The CIVD is also the ideal sponsor for Caravan Salon, the world’s largest caravanning industry trade show. In this capacity CIVD plays a pivotal role in promoting the progress and development of the European caravanning industry.
Press contact (CIVD):
Marc Dreckmeier
Director Marketing & PR
Caravaning Industrie Verband e.V. (CIVD)
Hamburger Allee 14
60486 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Phone: +49 69 704039-18
Jonathan Kuhn
Marketing & PR
Caravaning Industrie Verband e.V.
Hamburger Allee 14
60486 Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Phone: +49 69 704039-28
