Celestino Piazza becomes the new boss of Schwäbisch Gmünd municipal utilities!

Celestino Piazza becomes the new boss of Schwäbisch Gmünd municipal utilities!

Stadtwerke Schwäbisch Gmünd is facing a change in management. On November 12, 2025, the local council decided that Celestino Piazza would replace Peter Ernst and thus take control of the municipal utilities' fortunes as the new managing director. This comes after Ernst had to hand over responsibility due to unclear billing, misleading promises and a million-dollar hole in the till. Piazza, who is referred to as the “firefighter”, now has the task of stabilizing the company in the short term and bringing new impetus to the departments. Gmünder Tagespost provides further information on this.

A key focus for Piazza will be on two key priorities: firstly, managing people to motivate the existing team and secondly, improving the utility's software. It is noted that the dual role that Piazza holds - both as managing director of the municipal utility and as head of the Vereinigte Gmünder Wohnungsbaugesellschaft (VGW) - is initially only temporary. As soon as a new managing director has been found for the municipal utilities, he should return to VGW.

An experienced man at the top

Celestino Piazza brings a lot of experience with him, having led VGW for around ten years. In its previous activities, VGW was able to achieve an impressive profit of 3.63 million euros in 2024 with total assets of 136.86 million euros. The equity even rose to 50.22 million euros, which represents another success for the managing director. In comparison, Stadtwerke Gmünd had total assets of around 138 million euros and a profit of around 3.1 million euros in 2023.

Piazza also has experience in politics and was previously mayor in Herlikofen and a member of the CDU in the local council and district council. This could benefit him when it comes to introducing the necessary changes in structures and accounting.

An official press conference

A press conference with Mayor Richard Arnold is scheduled for November 13, 2025. The change will be officially announced, and further details could come to light to shed light on the future of the municipal utility and the planned measures under Piazza's leadership. It will be exciting to see how Piazza tackles the challenges and whether he can lead the municipal utility out of its current misery.

In summary, Schwäbisch Gmünd is facing an exciting change, and Celestino Piazza is seen as a key person in this crucial phase. The pressure to lead the company into a more stable future is now on his shoulders.