Dual leadership for BIRCO Germany: Dr. Ingo Markgraf (right) joins the management board as of 1 September 2023. Christian Merkel, who has been with the company since 1992 and the management board since 2002, remains Chairman.
Dr Ingo Markgraf has been advising the drainage solutions expert on its strategic orientation since 2014. Most recently, Ingo Markgraf taught management and business psychology at the Cologne campus of Macromedia University of Applied Sciences (since 2012).
08/28/2023 |
Dr. Ingo Markgraf joins BIRCO Germany management team
For the future, BIRCO Germany is relying on a dual management team in the operational business: Dr. Ingo Markgraf will join the management team on 1 September 2023 and will be responsible for Human Resources, Research & Development, Digitalisation, Sustainability and Marketing. Markgraf has advised the drainage solutions expert on its strategic orientation since 2014. The 54-year-old combines many years of management experience and scientific expertise. Christian Merkel remains Chairman of the Executive Board with a focus on the commercial area, production and sales.
"Despite difficult general conditions, we have been steadily growing in the last two years, especially in the area of stormwater management, and we are determined to maintain our successful course. The increasing complexity of topics and contents requires more attention to the individual company departments. At the same time, it's about ensuring business continuity. "Ingo Markgraf knows BIRCO inside out and with his expertise, he is a top person for expanding our management capacities," Christian Merkel explains regarding the expansion of the executive board.
Most recently, Ingo Markgraf taught management and business psychology at the Cologne campus of the Macromedia University of Applied Sciences (since 2012). During his academic work, he advised companies on strategic realignment and transformation processes. Before that, he worked as head of marketing and authorised signatory for REWE Touristik (2009-2011) and, among other things, as head of marketing volume business at TUI Germany (2003-2009).
The father of two is married, lives in Cologne and is now looking forward to his official start in Baden-Baden: "After the trusting and growing cooperation in the past years, I am very much looking forward to the challenge at BIRCO. I want to make my contribution to a company fit for future generations and continue the previous success story." After the closing with the MÜLLER-STEINAG Group, the Baden-based manufacturer continues to operate autonomously. As a link to the parent company, Peter Krattiger, managing director of Creabeton Produktions AG, which belongs to the group, extends the BIRCO management team and regularly exchanges information with company officials.
The main topics at BIRCO as part of the transformation strategy are the modern design of the employer brand, concentration on the European core markets, digitalisation and increasing process standardisation, the creation of a future-oriented infrastructure and the establishment of the drainage specialist as a universal system provider.