Gregor Riekena takes office in January 2023

A generational change driven by ‘visionary entrepreneurship’

Häfele Group, a global furniture and architectural hardware company, is moving forward with a change of CEO ahead of its 100th anniversary in 2023.

Sibylle Thierer (current CEO), who has held the CEO position for roughly 20 years since January 2003, will hand over management of the company to Gregor Riekena. This is a generational change in line with Häfele’s core value of ‘visionary entrepreneurship,’ and it has been in progress for several years.

Even after stepping down as CEO, Sibylle Thierer will keep the company under family ownership and management, and she will continue to take part in important decisions within the company. Häfele, whose legal status changed to that of a European company (Societas Europaea) in 2020, has divided the responsibility for running the company between the executive board and the supervisory board, and Sibylle Thierer serves concurrently as chair of the company’s management board and as chair of the board responsible for approving major projects.

Gregor Riekena’s appointment as CEO, decided in October 2022, was based on the confidence of Häfele’s shareholders and its board, and Häfele—founded in 1923—reaches its first 100th anniversary with a high degree of continuity in the company’s leadership.

Sibylle Thierer said, “I have led the Häfele Group since 2003. Over these 20 years, we have succeeded in growing revenue from nearly 700 billion won to about 2.7 trillion won. My successor, Gregor Riekena, will lead the company toward another hundred years in a future-oriented way, with optimism, courage and patience.”

Incoming CEO Gregor Riekena joined the Häfele Group as Head of Marketing in 2011, and from 2015 took part in management as CMO (Chief Marketing Officer). During his first ten years after joining the Häfele Group in 2011, he was responsible for the group’s brand strategy, the development of its global e-commerce platform, and the company’s own product strategy, and most recently he has been focusing on moving into the next generation through the ‘Häfele Strategy 2030’ project.

Meanwhile, Häfele Korea is preparing to open a new Gangnam showroom. The Gangnam showroom, previously located at the Hakdong Station intersection, will be relocated closer to the Seoul office and will present hardware in keeping with the company’s 100-year history. In the showroom, which is even more diverse than before, visitors can experience firsthand a wide range of product lines spanning the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom and office. During the pre-opening period in December, visitors who make an appointment by phone (02-2041-5410~2) can experience the showroom together with a detailed guided tour.

▲ Ahead of Häfele Group’s 100th anniversary in 2023, Sibylle Thierer (left) is set to hand over management of the company to Gregor Riekena.