Management
The management team of the Big Dutchman group
As a family business, Big Dutchman is committed to thinking about and taking action for future generations. For decades, the names Josef and Bernd Meerpohl have been standing for this claim, because entrepreneurship always meant and means more to them than simply economic growth. The experienced management team continues this positive corporate culture.
Steffen Bersch
Chief Executive Officer
Steffen Bersch is CEO of Big Dutchman with effect from 17th March 2025. The graduate engineer worked for the GEA Group for almost twenty years in various roles, including three years in the United Arab Emirates. The last almost four years of his time with the GEA Group, Steffen Bersch served as a member of the Executive Board, with responsibilities including the agricultural engineering sector. In 2020, Bersch was appointed CEO of the SSI Schaefer Group, a family-owned business with 11,000 employees that specialises in global intralogistics. Steffen Bersch is married and has two grown-up children.
Erkul Basaran
Chief Financial Officer
Erkul Basaran joined the company in October 2024 as CFO. He is responsible for the finance & controlling, legal and digital business divisions. The business administration graduate and qualified auditor worked for the consulting firm KPMG for several years and was most recently CFO of the Farm Technologies division at the GEA group in Bönen (Germany). Erkul Basaran is married and has three children.
Dr. Thomas Dalstein
Chief Operating Officer
Dr. Thomas Dalstein assumed responsibility for logistics, purchasing and engineering as well as for the global customer service as COO in April 2021. Previously, he was CEO of Beumer Corporation in North America, one of the world’s leading providers of intralogistics solutions, for ten years. He also gained experience in different management positions in the Siemens group. Dr. Thomas Dalstein is married and has two grown-up sons.
Ulf Meyer
Chief Development Officer
Ulf Meyer is CDO of Big Dutchman with effect from October 2025 and is responsible for the group’s investment companies. Ulf Meyer is also responsible for sales activities relating to digital solutions and special new developments. The business administration graduate started his career at Big Dutchman in 1990 as a dual student. Before being appointed as a member of the Board of Management, Ulf Meyer was Head of Region EMEA for Big Dutchman, responsible for the markets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Ulf Meyer is married and has two children.
