Following the death of founder and chairman Hans Strothoff in August, buying group MHK has appointed Werner Heilos as its new chairman.
Strothoff had a long and successful career and before founding the buying group MHK in 1980 had worked for Finnish furniture company Asko and Designo in Stuttgart.
Prof Rainer Kirchdörfer, chairman of the supervisory board of the MHK Group AG, with the MHK board of directors, presented details of the future management of the MHK Group to its employees at a memorial ceremony.
Kirchdörfer said: “Hans Strothoff has decreed that the MHK Group will remain together in its entirety.”
As executor of the will, Kirchdörfer will implement Strothoff’s ideas and wishes – and thus the new structure, which consists of the establishment and staffing of a foundation.
Kirchdörfer continued: “The individual MHK companies will be listed directly or indirectly under the future foundation. For the employees and shareholders of the MHK Group, this new structure will not result in any noticeable changes.”
The board of directors will be made up of six members. The majority of the board has remained the same, but new board member Donald Schieren has been promoted to Werner Heilos’s former procurement role as Heilos takes up the role as chairman.
The board consists of: Wolfgang Becker, central settlement system, payment risk and business management; Frank Bermbach, banking and financial services; Dr Olaf Hoppelshäuser, sales, logistics and facility management; Kirk Mangels, marketing and corporate communication and Donald Schieren, procurement marketing. Heilos will handle strategic direction, human resources, finance and legal affairs.
Heilos said: “Entirely in the spirit of Hans Strothoff, we will continue to manage the MHK Group in the usual manner and jointly expand our market leadership.”
Kirchdörfer added: “From my discussions with the various committees, I can report how unanimously these decisions were welcomed by all sides. This, too, is a clear signal of the cohesion within the MHK Group. The management board and the supervisory board will coordinate very closely and as a team will do everything in their power to lead the MHK Group into the future in the spirit of Hans Strothoff.”