DKHV and UNIKA Appoint Dr. Illya Kolba as Joint Managing Director

A single managing director now speaks for both halves of Germany's organized potato sector. On August 1, 2026, Dr. Illya Kolba takes over as joint managing director of the German Potato Trade Association (DKHV) and the Union of the German Potato Industry (UNIKA), representing the two bodies to policymakers, businesses and the public, according to an announcement carried by PotatoPro. Kolba is 40 and arrives from OVID, the Association of the Oilseed Processing Industry in Germany, where he spent more than seven years as Manager of Public Relations and Public Affairs, handling political advocacy, committee work and strategic association communication at both national and EU level.

DKHV and UNIKA are structurally distinct: DKHV represents companies involved in potato trading, while UNIKA is the broader umbrella body spanning breeding, seed production, primary production, packing, trade and processing. Rather than each maintaining separate leadership, the two have consolidated their public-facing voice into a single appointment. Olaf Feuerborn, Chairman of UNIKA, and Thomas Herkenrath, President of the DKHV, framed the hire jointly, describing Kolba as someone who "combines strategic thinking with a clear understanding of the concerns of our member companies."

Kolba's professional record sits entirely outside potatoes. His experience is in oilseed processing advocacy, not tuber production, trade or logistics. Feuerborn and Herkenrath's statement leans specifically on his communication and public-affairs record rather than any potato-specific expertise, calling him "a proven expert in political communication, association work, and agricultural policy" whose national and European-level advocacy experience will "provide important impetus for the further development of the German potato industry."

The emphasis in both the associations' statement and Kolba's own remarks falls on representation and communication rather than technical or agronomic priorities. Kolba, in his own comment, described the potato industry as "a high-performing and diverse sector with great importance for agriculture, food production and value creation in Germany," and said he looks forward to "tackling the upcoming challenges together with the volunteer committees, the member companies and the teams of both associations."

Neither the associations' statement nor Kolba's comment names what those "upcoming challenges" actually are. The announcement is framed entirely around personnel and process — start date, prior role, communication credentials — with no specific policy positions, legislative fights, or market issues attached to the new managing director's mandate.