17.09.2026
Interview with Dietmar Seelos
Dietmar Seelos has been part of the Pfeifer Group for 40 years. During this time, he has risen from sawmill technician to managing director, witnessed three generations of the owner family and helped shape the company’s transformation into a modern industrial enterprise. In this interview, he explains what he believes is the key to success.
Dietmar Seelos has been part of the Pfeifer Group for four decades.
At the age of 14, Dietmar Seelos began his apprenticeship as a sawmill technician at Pfeifer.
What memory of your first day at work in 1986 springs to mind straight away?
The first thing that comes to mind is the town of Stams. Back then, Pfeifer had leased the sawmill from Stams Abbey, and that’s where I began my apprenticeship at the age of 14. I’d already gone to school in Stams before that – so in a way, it brought things full circle.
What was it about working with wood that inspired you back then?
My father ran a small sawmill in Nassereith as a sideline and worked full-time as a metalworker at Pfeifer in Imst. Every so often, I got the chance to come along on a Saturday for an emergency repair. That fascinated me: the big machines, the technology and the way a tree becomes a product. So my connection to wood was practically in my blood from the start.
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Could you have imagined back then that you would one day become managing director at Pfeifer?
No, that certainly wasn’t my goal from the outset. But I had a great deal of passion and drive, and I made the most of the opportunities that came my way. In my view, that’s still what sets Pfeifer apart today: here, you can take paths you might not even have had in mind at the start.
A key moment was certainly 1996, when, at the age of 25, I was put in charge of the sawmill in Imst. Suddenly I had to take on responsibility and delegate tasks to ‘seasoned’ staff too. Ushering in a new era together with them shaped my later career profoundly.
A high degree of automation has replaced manual labour at the solid wood panel plant.
Over the past 40 years, you’ve played a leading role in countless projects and changes. What are you particularly proud of?
With so many exciting projects of every size, I find it hard to single one out. But they all had one thing in common: to make them happen, you need a good team. I’ve been fortunate to have a well-coordinated, consistent team around me throughout the years. It’s wonderful to see what becomes possible when people work towards a common goal together.
What has changed most at Pfeifer over the past few decades?
The sheer size of the company – and, with it, the management structure and culture – has changed enormously. In the past, leadership tended to be patriarchal; today, much is clearly structured, with well-defined tasks and areas of responsibility. The way people worked in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s was exactly right for that time. But the world has moved on, and so we had to change too. Over the past 20 to 25 years in particular, Pfeifer has developed into a state-of-the-art company. That took courage – and decisions that were certainly not always easy.
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And what has stayed the same, despite everything?
For me, three things have stayed the same over all these years: our commitment to being a family business, our passion for wood and – thank goodness – the name Pfeifer. When you look at how our industry has developed over the past 40 years, that is anything but a given.
You now lead large teams and are responsible for several sites. What makes for good leadership, in your view?
For me, it rests on four pillars:
trust,
appreciation,
encouraging and challenging people,
and communication.
Trust is what you need in order to delegate responsibility. You have to have confidence in your staff. That’s the basis for good collaboration. Appreciation matters just as much. Everyone wants their work to be seen and recognised. Praise and treating one another with respect are therefore essential.
Encouraging and challenging people is about developing staff in line with their strengths. As a manager, you have to recognise where someone can be encouraged or supported – and who is ready to seize opportunities. That’s what leads to long-term success.
The fourth pillar is communication. In this age of digitalisation especially, personal contact matters more than ever. Direct contact with staff quickly gives you a feel for the mood in the team. That way, you can address problems early, avoid misunderstandings and build trust
In a personal conversation: Together with CEO Michael Pfeifer, Dietmar Seelos looks back on 40 years.
What has personally motivated you to stay at Pfeifer all these years and to keep taking on new challenges?
Fundamentally, I’m a very ambitious person. I try to tackle tasks and challenges as well as I possibly can – for Pfeifer just as much as for my own development. These 40 years have included many exciting projects and tasks. Time and again, they’ve confirmed to me: Dietmar, this is exactly where you belong.
Of course, there have also been low points and setbacks. In moments like that, you sometimes need a manager or mentor to help you look ahead again. I’ve had people like that along the way – and I’m grateful for that.
What advice would you give to young colleagues starting their apprenticeship or career at Pfeifer today?
For me, the basis of a good career is commitment and performance – right from day one. That includes curiosity, a willingness to learn and the courage to take on challenges. But treating one another with respect is just as important. You have to fit into a team, look for shared solutions and be ready to put your own interests to one side now and then. And there’s one piece of advice I’d give to everyone: be patient. A career isn’t built in a week. It’s made up of many individual building blocks, and a bit of luck certainly plays its part too. But anyone who shows commitment and performance will find their way.
Finally: what are your hopes for Pfeifer’s future?
That it remains a family business and that the fourth generation gets off to a good start. I also hope Pfeifer keeps following the path of healthy growth it has taken over the past 80 years. At the same time, we should always remember the basics: making decisions, putting them into practice and once again placing wood as a raw material front and centre. Pfeifer will continue to need doers and implementers in the future!
ABOUT THE PERSON
Dietmar Seelos joined Pfeifer in 1986. Since 2009, he has been site manager for all the plants in Imst, an authorised signatory and the line manager responsible for 450 employees at the Imst site. In addition, he has headed up Pfeifer Holz Schlitz GmbH as managing director since 2024. He lives in Imst, is married and has two adult children.
