On the occasion of its 100th birthday, the global Hafele firm group underwent a ground-breaking personnel change as part of its preparations for the twenty-first century. Sibylle Thierer (CEO) is handing the reins of the inventive specialist for furniture fittings and architectural hardware, electronic access control systems, and LED lighting to 45-year-old managing director Gregor Riekena after 20 years at the helm.
Therefore, the Hafele Group is using its 100th birthday not just to reflect on its past successes but also to restructure under the slogan “Ready for the future.” According to the departing CEO, who is staying committed to her company’s slogan, “We are confidently highlighting our launch into the next Hafele century, “Standing still is a step backwards” with the statement: “It’s not about doing everything like we did before, it’s about the further development of the industry”.
The Board of Directors’ chairperson will continue to be Sibylle Thierer. As a result, she will continue to be heard in the company group’s future decision-making. The generational transition that is currently underway is an example of the shareholder families’ long-planned and meticulously constructed succession plan, which will be finished by January 1, 2023. This will mesh perfectly with other initiatives meant to achieve a seamless entry into the next 100 years of Hafele. The firm’s international realignment with the creation of SE in the company name and the corresponding new management and control structure, which took place in 2020, are as significant here as the company’s legal status shift to a European corporation with the designation SE.
establishing a direction for the future
The beginning of the next chapter in Hafele’s success story will be signalled by charting a course toward the future. With Gregor Riekena becoming the fifth CEO in Hafele’s history, positive past experiences are being built upon. With his insight, Hans Nock (1982–2003), the company’s first CEO who was not from the Hafele or Thierer families, laid the groundwork for the business to go global. Riekena is now the Hafele Group’s second CEO who is not a family member.
Gregor Riekena, a business graduate, joined Hafele in 2011 as Head of Marketing and has strengthened the management team since 2015 as the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO).
He has spent a lot of time getting to know the organisation while working toward being Sibylle Thierer’s chosen successor, both nationally and internationally. He was in charge of the Hafele Group’s brand strategy and the creation of a global e-commerce platform, among other things. Recently, the “Corporate Strategy 2030” project has put a heavy emphasis on entering the twenty-first century. “Here, we’ve collaborated to build the framework for defining the future. The need to delegate authority to Gregor Riekena became apparent during this period of intense cooperation. He is the most qualified for this job, and I have full faith in him,” said Sibylle Thierer.
