Having recently turned 70 years old, Prof. Dr. Jörg Sennheiser is handing over the chair of the supervisory board of Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG to Dr. Frank Heinricht, as of January 1st, 2015. Since joining the family-owned company in 1976, Dr Sennheiser’s contribution has been instrumental to the company’s success and has paved the way for a future-proof set-up of the audio company.
Frank Heinricht has been Chairman of the Board of Management of Schott AG since 2013 and became a member of the supervisory board of Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG five years ago.
“Dr. Heinricht has a profound technical expertise and brings experience in managing large family-owned companies to his new role. We are very happy that he is taking over as chairman of the supervisory board of the Sennheiser Group,” said Daniel and Andreas Sennheiser, CEOs and shareholders of Sennheiser electronic GmbH & Co. KG.
Commitment to independence
In withdrawing as chairman of the supervisory board, Jörg Sennheiser is placing the management of the company fully into the hands of the third Sennheiser generation. His sons Daniel and Andreas Sennheiser have been running Sennheiser electronic GmbH und Co. KG as CEOs since July 2013.
Commenting on the changeover in the supervisory board, Jörg Sennheiser added, “My goal has always been to pass a healthy, thriving company on to the next generation.” The Sennheiser family has laid down the principles of this long-term sustainable policy in a Family Charter. This not only defines core company values such as fairness and trust, the charter also includes the commitment to maintain Sennheiser as a family business. “The company’s independence is our most precious asset,” said Jörg Sennheiser. “The family is committed to pursuing its strategy without any influence from third parties, a strategy that focuses on absolute customer orientation, technical innovation and first-class quality. This is an aim I have always pursued, and it is the basis of the decades of success that we have enjoyed and will enjoy in the future.”
The road to becoming a world brand
Jörg Sennheiser became Sennheiser’s director of technology in 1976 before taking over management of the family business as executive shareholder in 1982. During his time at the helm, Sennheiser developed to an internationally successful brand. This involved setting up new manufacturing facilities in Ireland and the USA, while at the same time expanding production in Germany. In addition, Sennheiser internationalised its sales organisation during this time. As a result of this sustained growth strategy, Sennheiser today has over 2,500 employees across the globe and is active in more than 60 countries.
The Sennheiser Group based in Wedemark near Hanover, Germany, was founded in 1945 and has gone on to become a leading manufacturer of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems. Sales in 2013 totaled 590.4 million euros. Sennheiser employs more than 2,500 staff worldwide and operates plants in Germany, Ireland and the USA. The company has a worldwide network of subsidiaries in France, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Germany, Denmark (Nordic), Russia, Hongkong, India, Singapore, Japan, China, Australia and New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, and the USA. It also has long-established trading partners in other countries. Georg Neumann GmbH, Berlin, a maker of studio microphones and monitor speakers, and Sennheiser Communications A/S, a joint venture making headsets for PCs, offices and call centers, are also part of the Sennheiser Group.
More up-to-date information about Sennheiser is available on the internet at www.sennheiser.com.