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Supervisory Board Chairman Schellenberg acknowledges his achievements
The city of Darmstadt has announced a significant personnel decision in a press release: Clemens Maurer, Managing Director of Klinikum Darmstadt GmbH, will be leaving his position at the end of 2025. After more than twelve years at the helm of the hospital, he is leaving the Rhine-Main region for personal reasons and will be relocating to the Berlin area.
With great regret, André Schellenberg, Chairman of the Supervisory Board and Head of the Hospital Department, has granted Clemens Maurer's request and terminated his contract as Managing Director and Spokesperson of the Management Board of Klinikum Darmstadt GmbH (KDA) at the end of 2025. Clemens Maurer took over Klinikum Darmstadt in March 2013. Next year, for personal reasons, he and his family will be leaving the Rhine-Main region and relocating to the Berlin area.
“Clemens Maurer’s departure at the end of the year is doubly painful. Firstly, from the company’s perspective, and secondly, personally. Our collaboration was open, honest, trusting, and transparent. Together, we acted in the best interests of the healthcare needs of the people in southern Hesse, as well as in the best interests of all employees, and continuously developed the institution. Clemens Maurer leaves behind very big shoes to fill,” said Schellenberg.
Future-proof maximum care provider for southern Hesse
The goal has always been to ensure the broad range of medical services offered by a maximum care provider, to improve the quality of care, to further develop the hospital into an attractive employer, and to ensure its long-term viability under municipal ownership. This goal was achieved through growth and centralization, and the Klinikum Darmstadt GmbH – hospital and subsidiaries – was further developed and positioned for the future.
Maurer focused on both the internal structures, processes, and collaborative culture of Klinikum Darmstadt GmbH, as well as regional and supra-regional networking. His political engagement is reflected in his positions as a board member of the Hessian Hospital Association, the Hessian Hospital Society, and the Alliance of Municipal Hospitals. A hallmark of his leadership was always taking a stand, seeking allies, and driving and implementing transformations.
Growth and new construction
When the opportunity arose in 2015 to acquire two Catholic hospitals, thereby ensuring the long-term growth of the range of services offered at the Darmstadt Clinic, Maurer and his team, in coordination with shareholders and the supervisory board, succeeded in implementing the purchase and later the integration.
The significant improvement in the economic situation paved the way for investments totaling €270 million in the new central hospital building: At the Grafenstraße site, existing buildings were demolished while the hospital remained fully operational, and the new central building was constructed. It was ready for occupancy in December 2020 – in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. "That this major project was completed on time and within budget was a masterpiece by the outgoing managing director," said City Treasurer Schellenberg. The result is a modern, centrally located hospital with a helicopter landing pad, state-of-the-art medical and IT technology, and comfortable patient rooms.
Sustainability and digitalization
Furthermore, Clemens Maurer has further developed the hospital in the areas of sustainability and digitalization: 35 million euros were invested in a new energy center, including combined heat and power plants; a sustainability management system was established in 2023. He had already made digitalization a top priority in 2019 and provided it with sufficient funding to enable the Darmstadt Clinic to meet the ever-increasing challenges it faces as a critical infrastructure institution.
Even during the Corona pandemic, the Darmstadt Clinic assumed responsibility for southern Hesse by taking on a central coordination function in cooperation with the state of Hesse, admitting seriously ill Covid patients and working closely with the science city of Darmstadt.
architects of hospital reform
The external factors that have plagued hospitals since the COVID-19 pandemic have led to financial difficulties for hospitals nationwide, including the Darmstadt Clinic. These external factors will result in losses for the Darmstadt Clinic this year and next. However, under the leadership of Clemens Maurer, the hospital has managed to minimize these losses. Through excellent, close, and months-long cooperation with the city, the municipal hospital has been financially stabilized and its liquidity secured for the coming years. This foundation has enabled the hospital to prepare for the hospital reform adopted in 2024, to position itself effectively, and to continue pursuing its goal of becoming a well-established, comprehensive care provider.
With foresight, Maurer initiated the holding company with the Agaplesion Elisabethenstift, also based in Darmstadt. "Typical of Clemens Maurer is his foresight and vision in preparing our hospital early for future developments – currently the hospital reform. The idea of joining forces with the Agaplesion Elisabethenstift in a holding company to tackle the reform is and was the right one. We will adhere to this idea and use the coming months together to further develop healthcare and the hospital's positive impact for the people of southern Hesse," said Schellenberg.
“This step is not easy for me. I feel very connected to our hospital and its employees and am very proud of everything we have achieved together,” says Clemens Maurer. “But now is the right time to leave. I thank our shareholders and supervisory board for their trust and the opportunity to make a difference. I thank our employees for their dedication and their active participation in all the changes. Together, we have transformed our image, grown, improved our financial performance, and thus laid the foundation for our new central building. Last but not least, I would like to thank everyone for their extraordinary commitment during the pandemic. This makes me proud and optimistic for the future.”
Clemens Maurer adds: “With regard to the hospital reform and the holding company, the hospital has very good prospects for establishing itself sustainably. This is a good time to hand the hospital over to new owners and give a new management team the opportunity to set the course for the coming years on a solid foundation.”
In conclusion, Hospital Director Schellenberg stated: “The departure of Clemens Maurer is a great loss for Darmstadt. However, since he succeeded in positioning the municipal hospital so well during his tenure and preparing it in the best possible way for the upcoming transformations, we as shareholders and on the supervisory board are confident that we will find an excellent successor for him and the hospital. The decision to expand the management team to include a medical director and, more recently, a nursing director has proven to be the right one in this situation as well. With Dr. Jörg Noetzel and Michele Tarquinio, we have two experienced managing directors who can and will reliably lead the hospital during this transition period.”
(DARMSTADT – PSD stip)
Clemens Maurer Photo: Markus Schmidt PSD
