Svenja Udelhoven succeeds Stephan Santelmann as RVK Supervisory Board Chair

Svenja Udelhoven has been elected Chair of the Supervisory Board of Regionalverkehr Köln GmbH.

Regionalverkehr Köln GmbH (RVK) announces it has unanimously appointed Svenja Udelhoven as Chair of its Supervisory Board, with effect from 15 December 2025. Svenja Udelhoven, District Executive Director (Kreisdirektorin) of the Rhein-Sieg district, succeeds Stephan Santelmann, former District Administrator of the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis.

First woman to lead RVK’s Supervisory Board

Svenja Udelhoven has been a member of the Supervisory Board since 2014 and most recently served as second Deputy Chair. With her election, she becomes the first woman to assume the chairmanship of the Supervisory Board in the company’s history, marking a structural milestone for the municipally owned public transport operator.

The change at the top of the Supervisory Board comes at a time when RVK, like many regional public transport providers, is operating in an increasingly complex environment. Issues such as service stability, workforce availability, fleet renewal and the implementation of transport and climate policy objectives are expected to shape the company’s strategic agenda in the coming years, RVK states. The Supervisory Board plays a key role in overseeing and guiding the management as these long-term challenges are addressed.

Further personnel changes within the Supervisory Board accompanied the appointment. Thorsten Schmalt, representative of the Rheinisch-Bergischer Kreis, has been elected second Deputy Chair, succeeding Udelhoven in that role. Andreas Frauenkron, representing RVK employees, continues to serve as first Deputy Chair, ensuring continuity on the workforce side.

The reshuffle follows the most recent municipal elections, which led to several changes among the shareholder representatives. In addition to Stephan Santelmann, Achim Blindert (representing the Euskirchen district) and Andreas Wolter (representing the City of Cologne) have stepped down from the Supervisory Board. The newly appointed members are Thorsten Schmalt, Wolfgang Heller for the Euskirchen district, and Lars Wahlen for the City of Cologne.

With its new composition, the Supervisory Board combines long-standing experience with newly appointed members and updated political representation. For RVK, the changes define a renewed governance structure at a time when strategic oversight and long-term decision-making are becoming increasingly critical for regional public transport operations.

Svenja Udelhoven said: “I am very much looking forward to this new responsibility and to the trust placed in me by the Supervisory Board. My aim is to move RVK and the vitally important public transport system in the region forward in a united manner — with prudent decisions, foresight and sensitivity. We will continue to live up to this responsibility.”

Marcel Frank, Managing Director of Regionalverkehr Köln GmbH, stated: “I would like to warmly congratulate Svenja Udelhoven on her election as our new Supervisory Board Chair. I am pleased that we have gained a chair who combines precise work with a keen sense for public transport. I therefore look very positively on our future cooperation, as we still have many plans for the coming years that require a strong Supervisory Board. At the same time, I would like to thank Stephan Santelmann for the many years of trust-based and constructive collaboration.”