GKD: The generation change continues

3. July 2023

Company

Two years after Lara Kufferath heralded the entry of the fourth generation into the management of the family-owned company, the GKD generation change continues. Ingo Kufferath, who has been in the company for 40 years, is moving to the Supervisory Board. His successor is Dr. Daniel Holstein.

For 40 years, Ingo Kufferath was the technological head and production expert at GKD – Gebr. Kufferath AG. Now, the global market leader for mesh solutions based in Düren is setting the course for the future with a new Management Board member. Beginning July 1, Dr. Daniel Holstein, an experienced technology manager and engineer, will take over Ingo Kufferath’s area of responsibility and join the company as the new Chief Technology & Operations Officer (CTOO). Holstein will help to drive forward the GKD Group’s international growth strategy together with Lara Kufferath, Chief Digital & Transformation Officer (CDTO), Dr. Stephan Kufferath, Chief Sales Officer (CSO), and Markus Kosel, Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

“I can look back on an unbelievably fulfilling time and am thankful that I have been able to help shape the fate of our family company for so long,” says Ingo Kufferath, “We have always looked forward and constantly pushed ahead with change and innovation to ready ourselves for the future. Dr. Daniel Holstein shares precisely this mindset in order to forge ahead with the transformation of our company.“

Ingo Kufferath, outgoing Chief
Technology & Operations Officer (CTOO) at GKD

54-year-old Holstein comes from North Rhine Westphalia and holds a doctorate in engineering. He has more than 15 years of experience in the management of medium-sized, mostly family-run companies. At BIAS – Bremen Institute of Applied Beam Technology, he worked in research in the international field of laser material processing and optical measurement techniques and facilitated R&D projects at the interface between research and industry. Management positions at Thyssenkrupp Bilstein, Thyssenkrupp Turbine Components, and Leistritz Turbine Technology followed. His positions included Head of Corporate Engineering & Technology and Manager in an international context. Most recently, Dr. Holstein was CTO at Hörmann Automotive.

“This change is a real milestone,” says Lara Kufferath. “Ingo Kufferath has had a big impact on GKD in the last 40 years; without him we wouldn’t be able to call ourselves the global market leader we are today. I am convinced that Dr. Daniel Holstein is the right person to have on board at GKD to help us continue to grow as a leader of innovation and the worldwide market for mesh solutions, even in a global environment that is increasingly volatile and complex.“

Dr. Daniel Holstein (CTOO) and Lara Kufferath (CDTO)

“The varied and technically ambitious range of products and the value-oriented corporate culture quickly won me over,” says Dr. Daniel Holstein. “Digital transformation and the evolution toward sustainable solutions are the big challenges facing GKD and its many customers worldwide. I look forward to helping shape the development of the GKD Group as part of a strong management team.”

Ingo Kufferath will accompany Dr. Daniel Holstein in his first weeks at GKD in order to ensure a smooth transition. “I am glad that my succession has been so well arranged. GKD thrives on continuity in the set of values by which the company is run, and at the same time on the ability to innovate and renew. We will shape the handover in this spirit.” After the transition period, Ingo Kufferath will switch to the company’s Supervisory Board and continue to serve GKD at the strategic level.