Since the end of April German office furniture manufacturer Wilkhahn has boosted global sales activities through the appointment of two new people, some five months after Dr Jochen Hahne took over as sole CEO.

Volker Starzmann has joined the management board, as international sales director, and Simone Vingerhoets-Ziesmann will be spearheading Wilkhahn’s USA operations.

Until recently two people managed the company, so Volker Starzmann’s senor appointment has been seen as a welcome addition to the team. The 48-year-old manager started his career in the consumer-goods industry before switching to a leading, design-driven company for bathroom and sanitation products. Most recently, he worked for a Swedish corporation as vice president of sales and services.

CEO Dr Jochen Hahne

Simone Vingerhoets-Ziesmann will be serving as CEO of the US subsidiary from May. Born in Oldenburg in the North of Germany, Simone is a trained banker who has pursued a sales career across Europe since 1999. Starting off in London, Vingerhoets-Ziesmann and has been New York-based since 2005 and has in-depth knowledge of the industry and good connections throughout the design world.

The US subsidiary was established in 2008 and currently has offices in New York and Chicago, and CEO Hahne believes that the time is ripe to strengthen the global sales force for Wilkhahn, “Current economic growth in the US will also help our own growth. At the moment we’re about to launch a new office-chair range that will tap into new business opportunities and markets all over the globe”

Wilkhahn
wilkhahn.com