Henkel: Shareholders with a face
Düsseldorf, 18 September 2009. Henkel had a new face. Surprisingly, the nomination of Germany’s first female Chairwoman of a DAX-quoted company was at one of the old family-controlled industrial corporations, often considered as conservative and traditional. The nomination of Simone Bagel-Trah (5th generation, 1969) represented a cultural change for the Henkel corporation. Besides being a woman, she was more than 30 years younger than her predecessor and a mother of two children. Simone, a member of the Henkel family, the majority shareholder of the group, had been carefully selected for this important role. She had a solid track record as a scientist, had started up her first business just a couple of years previously and had been involved in the family management and governance for many years. Fritz Henkel founded the business in 1876, but 133 years later Henkel AG & Co. KGaA was anything but old-fashioned, slow or conservative. It had become a €14 billion multinational that competed on global markets with players such as Procter & Gamble and Unilever, and it operated around 200 production sites globally, split over three separate business units: Laundry & Home Care, Beauty Care and Adhesive Technologies. Henkel was well regarded for its innovativeness, solid sales performance and brand leadership. Nevertheless, the company had the image of a “typical German and traditional family business” and was less profitable than its international industry peers. In 2008 Kasper Rorsted (born 1962) was appointed new CEO of Henkel and announced an ambitious four-year plan to substantially improve the company’s profitability and to instill a stronger performance culture. Simone’s predecessor, Albrecht Woeste (4th generation, 1935), had steered the family interests for nearly 20 years. Taking the organization to the next level and creating a “winning culture” became part of Simone and Kasper’s shared goal and vision. What would it take for them to become a winning team in leading Henkel into a future of sustainable growth?
Family business branding and positioning; Family business governance and stakeholder management; Strategic communications.
Henkel, Consumer Goods, Consumer Goods, Household Cleaners
2009-2013
Cranfield University
Wharley End Beds MK43 0JR, UK
Tel +44 (0)1234 750903
Email [email protected]
Harvard Business School Publishing
60 Harvard Way, Boston MA 02163, USA
Tel (800) 545-7685 Tel (617)-783-7600
Fax (617) 783-7666
Email [email protected]
NUCB Business School
1-3-1 Nishiki Naka
Nagoya Aichi, Japan 460-0003
Tel +81 52 20 38 111
Email [email protected]
IMD retains all proprietary interests in its case studies and notes. Without prior written permission, IMD cases and notes may not be reproduced, used, translated, included in books or other publications, distributed in any form or by any means, stored in a database or in other retrieval systems. For additional copyright information related to case studies, please contact Case Services.
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
The China Resources Beer (CR Beer) case study is a compelling narrative of the world’s largest beer producer by volume under the leadership of CEO Hou Xiaohai. In 2016 CR Beer embarked on a pivotal transformation journey. This case study offers cr...
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
in I by IMD 5 February 2025
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
in I by IMD 3 February 2025
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
in I by IMD Brain Circuits 28 January 2025
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
in I by IMD 28 January 2025
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications
Research Information & Knowledge Hub for additional information on IMD publications