Karl Weber Appointed Managing Director Of Hochkar Bergbahnen & Otscherliften
With the takeover and merger of the Hochkar Bergbahnen (Göstling an der Ybbs) and the Ötscherlifte (Lackenhof am Ötscher) by the state-owned ecoplus Alpin, the management also had to be put out to tender again. The entire process was accompanied by an external personnel consultancy. A total of 48 applications were received on time, after which numerous selection interviews were held. In a hearing, three candidates identified as the most suitable by the personnel consultancy presented themselves to a selection jury, which also included Renate Rakwetz (Mayor of Gaming/Lackenhof am Ötscher), Friedrich Fahrnberger (Mayor of Göstling an der Ybbs) and Wolfgang Labenbacher (President of the Lower Austrian Ski Association) as representatives of the belonged to the most important stakeholders.
Karl Weber (49), who was born in Josefsberg, was appointed 'Operational Managing Director' of Hochkar & Ötscher Tourismus GmbH. He has been entrusted with the function on an interim basis since December 21, 2021. Karl Weber has been the managing director of Annaberger Lifte since 2012 and has successfully introduced summer operations there with the Zipline Annaberg, among other things. In addition, the graduate business economist and state-certified ski instructor was responsible for innovations such as the permanent ski cross route or the ticket point with self-service cash desks. "We were able to choose from a very large pool of candidates. The decision fell unanimously on Karl Weber due to his previous successful work in the cable car industry and tourism, his experience with change processes and also his qualities as a manager", explains ecoplus Managing Director Helmut Miernicki. "Markus Redl remains our owner's representative and 'strategic managing director', the currently appointed management thus in office as the Redl/Weber duo."
"Following the merger of the Ötscherlifte with the Hochkar Bergbahnen on January 21, 2022, another milestone has been reached with the selection of the new managing director. Karl Weber is thus taking on a Herculean task. The region is in the middle of work on the tourism repositioning of Lackenhof am Ötscher, over 300 ideas have already been submitted to the "Der Ötscher ruf" ideas competition. At the same time, experts are evaluating all relevant aspects, and a future concept with various implementation variants must be drawn up. The lift management with Markus Redl and Karl Weber will be committed and competent to contribute," emphasized Jochen Danninger, the regional councilor for tourism.
"I know and appreciate Karl Weber from his many years of work in the Ötscher-Tormäuer Nature Park and other bodies in regional and tourism development. He is someone who has professional and human qualities. I look forward to continued good cooperation," said Renate Rakwetz, Mayor of Gaming.
"As chairman of the Ybbstaler Alpen, I can only welcome the even closer cooperation offered with the new Hochkar & Ötscher Tourismus GmbH — we already share the office location in the center of Göstling," says Friedrich Fahrnberger, Mayor of Göstling an der Ybbs. "We have had very good experiences with Karl Weber on the part of ski racing in Lower Austria, who has been a reliable partner for many years with the Annaberg lifts and the Mathias Zdarsky race track there," says Wolfgang Labenbacher, President of the Lower Austria Ski Association.
At Annaberger Liftbetriebs-Gesellschaft mbH, Karl Weber remains on the management board, and Markus Redl is also appointed. The previous cashier Veronika Grießl (32) from Mitterbach am Erlaufsee is entrusted with the power of attorney for this company.
"I'm looking forward to this new professional task because I see great development opportunities for the entire region. The most important thing for me is our employees right from the start, because their behavior and performance shape the experience for the guests”, Karl Weber concludes his permanent appointment as 'Operational Managing Director' of Hochkar & Ötscher Tourismus GmbH.
