• With over 20 years of military leadership and strategic defense expertise, Jan Hesselbarth has served across NATO missions and top-level federal advisory roles.
• Appointed as the first Vice President of Circus' newly launched Defense Business Unit — spearheading the rollout of autonomous meal supply systems in the defense sector.
• His arrival marks a major milestone as Circus scales its dual-use AI robotic systems to transform defense operations and safeguard critical infrastructure worldwide.

Circus SE (XETRA: CA1), a global technology leader in AI software and robotics for the food service industry, announces the appointment of Jan Hesselbarth as Vice President Defense Strategy & Operations.

Hesselbarth brings over two decades of leadership across military operations and public-sector transformation. As a former airborne officer and senior advisor to federal and international institutions, he has led military and civil programs with teams of up to 1,000 personnel and delivered results across highly dynamic and complex environments.

At Circus, Hesselbarth will take full strategic and operational ownership of defense deployment programs, including deployments of the recently introduced CA-M autonomous meal supply system for armed forces and civil protection. His scope spans logistics, deployment, and compliance in security-critical environments.

Prior to joining Circus, Hesselbarth advised military commands and national authorities on geostrategy, resilience, and security. Throughout his career, he trained over 5,000 Bundeswehr personnel in mission-specific readiness, supported operational planning for Lithuanian officer training and German command structures, and co-authored a federal study on maritime security for the German Ministry of the Interior.

“Jan combines operational command experience with strategic foresight – a rare profile at the intersection of defense, logistics, and innovation,” said Nikolas Bullwinkel, CEO and Founder of Circus. As Circus ramps up its defense unit, Hesselbarth’s appointment reflects the company’s commitment to operational readiness, secure field logistics, and customer-centric deployment – both in Europe and globally.

“I’m excited to join Circus at this inflection point,” said Jan Hesselbarth. “Bringing autonomous technology into real-world military and security operations requires more than innovation – it takes field experience, discipline, and trust. I look forward to building systems that deliver.”

About Circus SE

Circus SE (XETRA: CA1) is a global AI and robotics company developing autonomous systems for food supply in both civilian and defense sectors. Its flagship robot, the patented CA-1, is the world’s first fully autonomous food production robot, now in serial production. Powered by proprietary embodied AI, Circus delivers industrial-scale, high-reliability meal output with minimal human input. Headquartered in Munich, the company is building the global infrastructure for autonomous food supply – on a mission to fuel humanity.

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