New generation at LAPP
Matthias Lapp becomes Chairman of the Management Board
Stuttgart, 20 July 2022 - The Stuttgart-based family company LAPP has been run by the third generation since 1 October 2022. Matthias Lapp (39), grandson of the company founder Ursula Ida Lapp, has taken over as Chairman of the Board at Lapp Holding AG. His uncle Andreas Lapp (66), Chairman of the Board, and his father Siegbert E. Lapp (70), Chairman of the Supervisory Board, are leaving the operative business of the LAPP Group on 30 September 2022.
"I look forward to leading LAPP into the future together with all employees. We have a strong strategy and are well positioned to provide our customers with answers to the major issues of our time, for example in the areas of digitalisation and sustainability,” emphasises Matthias Lapp. The generation change at the market leader for integrated solutions in the field of cable and connection technology was already initiated in 2017, when Matthias Lapp became CEO of the largest region LA EMEA, which also includes the important German business. The next big step will now follow: Andreas Lapp will take the next big step at the start of the 2022/23 financial year on 1 October 2022 when he hands over the chairmanship of the Executive Board to his nephew Matthias Lapp. He will assume this task in a dual role as CEO LA EMEA. At the same time, Siegbert E. Lapp will hand over his role as Chairman of the Supervisory Board to his former deputy Dr Hans Schumacher (67), who has been on the board since 2015. Andreas Lapp’s daughter Katharina Lapp (24) has been appointed to the Supervisory Board at the same time. This means that in the future, there will always be one member of the family on the Board of Directors and on the Supervisory Board: LAPP will remain a family company.
Retiring after 42 and 35 years in management roles
When their father Oskar Lapp, founder of LAPP, died unexpectedly in 1987, brothers Siegbert E. and Andreas Lapp took over responsibility and ran the company from then on with their mother Ursula Ida Lapp. Over the past 35 years, they have jointly developed LAPP into a global player and world market leader in connection technology.
"My brother Andreas and I look back on a fulfilling and successful, but also very intense professional life. We are now delighted to be taking a step back as of October to dedicating ourselves to our passion projects and to following LAPP’s success story from the front row," says Chairman of the Supervisory Board Siegbert E. Lapp. Both remain closely connected to the company as owners and continue supporting their children as mentors. "The world of business and work is changing and we trust the young minds to guide LAPP through this evolution. We are gearing up for the future while staying true to our roots, our values and our identity as a family company. We are confident that the third generation, management and all employees worldwide will lead LAPP to a successful future,” adds Andreas Lapp.
Matthias and Katharina Lapp: Decision in favour of the company
As the eldest grandson of company founder Ursula Ida Lapp (1930 - 2021) Matthias Lapp joined the LAPP Group in 2010 after studying international business administration and taking positions in various companies. Since 2017, he has been responsible as Managing Director of U.I. Lapp GmbH for the regions of Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa (LA EMEA) and thus the most important market for the LAPP Group. In this role, he has successfully continued to foster the internationalisation of the LAPP Group and has placed a strong focus on the topics of corporate culture and international cooperation.
Like her cousin Matthias, Katharina Lapp grew up in and with the company. company: She has been attending parties and events since her early childhood, and later gained her first professional experience during holiday work and internships in various areas at LAPP. During the construction of the Collège Andreas Lapp, a school co-financed by Andreas Lapp in Côte d'Ivoire, which was completed in 2019, she was the project manager.
After finishing high school, she studied mechatronics and learned the basics of mechatronics, information technology and electrical engineering. This was followed by a degree in "International Management", in which she where she focused in particular on the continent of Africa - one of the one of the major strategic future markets of the LAPP Group.