Miele has announced the death of its former managing director, Dr. Peter Christian Zinkann, at the age of 98. He held the role for several decades and was also the grandson of company founder, Reinhard Zinkann.
Born in 1928, he joined the family business in 1957 before stepping into the role of managing director in 1972. Alongside long-time business partner Rudolf Miele, he managed and shaped the family-owned company for over four decades, helping it grow into a globally recognised appliance brand.
While Rudolf Miele was primarily responsible for commercial management of the the company, Zinkann was an acclaimed technical innovator. Throughout his career, he filed 80 individual patents with Germany’s Patent and Trademark Office.
Zinkaan continued in his role as Miele’s co-managing director until 2004, stepping down following the death of Rudolf Miele. Leadership of the business was then passed down to his son, Dr. Reinhard Zinkann junior, who still serves as Miele’s managing director to this day.
Paying tribute to Zinkann, Miele said: “With his extraordinary entrepreneurial vision and his enduring passion for the Miele Group, he shaped the development of our company for over four decades – always with responsibility, a spirit of innovation and a deep understanding of the people who make up the company.
“His exceptional technical expertise, inventiveness and tireless innovation were just as distinctive as his strong social, cultural and economic commitment. This combination of professional competence and personal commitment to the well-being of society made him an extraordinary entrepreneurial personality. His memory will live on in our hearts, and we are deeply grateful for all that he created.”