Merkur Group will undergo several leadership changes next month, with new Chairs of its Supervisory Board, Management Board and Board of Directors of the Gauselmann Family Foundation being appointed.
The changes are taking place as the company’s founder, Paul Gauselmann, will be stepping down on 1 October from his position as Chair of the Management Board and from the company’s executive leadership after 67 years.
During his time with Merkur, he helped to transform the company into an internationally recognised group with revenues of approximately €4bn and external sales revenues of more than €2.7bn.
However, Gauselmann will continue his association with the company as a member of the Gauselmann Family Foundation.
Gauselmann commented: “I have consistently devoted my energy to the company’s welfare and at the same time to the benefit of our approximately 15,000 employees. Now the time has come to entrust my life’s work to the younger generation.”
Current CFO Lars Felderhoff will be replacing Gauselmann as Management Board Chair. Felderhoff will be supported by Vice Chairs Jürgen Stühmeyer, a Management Board member with responsibility for sales, and Manfred Stoffers, a Management Board member with responsibility for marketing, communications and political affairs.
Having overseen the finances and organisation of the Merkur Group since 2018, Felderhoff will also become the new Group Chair. He said on the new role: “The challenge is immense, and naturally, we will not be able to fill the shoes of an entrepreneur like Paul Gauselmann one-to-one.
“However, the company is robust and agile enough to continue setting new benchmarks in the future.”
Gauselmann said on the Management Board appointments: “I am delighted that this trio is taking over the helm. They are outstanding leaders with a deep understanding of the company.”
Elsewhere, Michael Gauselmann, Paul’s son, will succeed his father as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Gauselmann Family Foundation, in addition to assuming the position of Supervisory Board Chair on 1 October from Manfred Grünewald.
“I am thrilled that my son Michael is embracing this important responsibility and will contribute his international experience to our company,” stated Gauselmann.
Michael Gauselmann has been with Merkur since 1982 and worked across all business segments, including serving as Vice-Chair of the Management Board for a decade before becoming Co-Chair of the Group Management Board from 2004 to 2012, sharing responsibilities with his father.
From 2013, he was involved in the Gauselmann Family Council and, from 2016, in the Gauselmann Family Foundation.
Paul Gauselmann concluded: “Reorganising the company by the time I turn 90 has been my wish for some time. We have accomplished this very well and are ideally positioned for the future, particularly as my son Michael, both a member of the Gauselmann family and an experienced entrepreneur, will continue to be involved in the most critical decisions.”
