Dirk Lange.Net is a business consultancy for international management, strategy, innovation, organization and restructuring.

As an experienced Asia manager and CEO in leading German, American and Chinese companies, I take on advisory and management roles.

Focus

• Strategy Development
• International Organizational Development / Restructuring
• Brand Building in China
• Innovation Management
• Merger & Acquisition (Strategic Due Diligence, Post Merger Integration)
• Turnaround Management
• Support for the recruitment of executives in Asia
• Business Sparring / Leadership Coaching

Experience

• Consulting Projects
• CEO / Board, Business Area Manager and Business Unit Manager in leading American, German and Chinese companies
• Leading international positions in construction, construction materials and machinery manufacturing companies
• Experience in business start-ups, organizational development and brand development in China
• Lifelong cross-cultural experience in Asia and the USA
• Functional experience in product development and product marketing

Personality

• Highly empathic with people and a quick study in market, production and business processes.
• Obtains confidence fast, committed
• Asks the right questions and gets to the bottom of things
• Direct and pragmatic
• Engaged and persevering
• Develops hypotheses to substantiate these with facts
• Contributes to the creation of positive expectations
• Targeted and solutions-oriented
• Can think outside the box / unconventional

You are

• a small-medium-sized company and are looking for a board adviser or an experienced sparring partner in the long-term localization of your company and management team in Asia
• a global company with systems- or solutions-oriented products and are looking for an adviser with expertise in strategy, innovation, brand management and organization / restructuring in Asia
• an investor from Germany, Switzerland, Austria or Asia and are looking for an active advisory board member in the areas of M & A and Post Merger Integration

You are looking for

• an experienced China expert, also as an interim manager, with a global perspective and local know-how from Germany
• an active adviser with expertise in strategy, innovation, M & A and global organization / restructuring for a company with systems- or solutions-oriented products and services in Asia
• an advisory board member and experienced coach for a medium-sized family-run company, e.g., in succession management or strategic localisation in Asia

Leadership Experience / Positions

in international market-leading companies as

• Advisory Board Member
• CEO / Managing Director
• Business Unit Manager
• Business Area Manager

Overall management including the following functional areas:

• Marketing (with direct management experience)
• Sales & Service (with direct management experience)
• R & D (with direct management experience)
• Production & Supply Chain
• Human Resources (strategic)
• Finance / Controlling
• Sales responsibility: > € 160 million
• Personnel responsibility:> 2,500 employees – worldwide
• Successful leadership and coaching of employees of all management levels

Know-how

• Overall responsibility as CEO of international companies in China: strategic (new) orientation, including design and implementation of the necessary organizational measures
• Conception, initiation and implementation of restructuring projects: integration, consolidation, relocation, closure and development of (production) sites
• Introduction of sustainable strategies
• Market-oriented expansion and enhancement of the product portfolio
• Localization of product development and introduction of state-of-the-art innovation processes
• Merger & Acquisitions: Strategic Due Diligence, Capital Increases, Acquisitions and Global Integration

Industry knowledge

• Construction and building material industry
• Sanitaryware and plumbing technology
• Printing, packaging and plastics processing industries
• Mechanical engineering / household appliance industry

Linguistic proficiency

German | mother tongue

English | Bilingual

Chinese | very good

My offer

Engagement and mandates

• as an advisory board member
• as an active advisor / consultant
• as interim manager

in these industries

• Real Estate, Construction & Building Materials
• Mechanical engineering (printing, packaging, plastics)
• Plumbing, heating and air conditioning, smart home

with the main focus of

• China / Asia
• Brand building and brand management in China
• Strategy (localization and global integration)
• Innovation (localization and global integration)
• International Organizational Development / Restructuring
• Merger & Acquisition

Career

July 2016 – present

Dirk Lange.Net Management Consulting, Stuttgart

Management and strategy consulting for Asia. Focus on entrepreneurship, organizational development, and governance.

2021 – 2024

Poggenpohl Holding GmbH, Herford

Managing Director

Poggenpohl, founded in 1892, is a pioneer in the manufacture of luxury kitchens with an architectural approach and stands for the highest innovation, quality, and unique design, making it the most famous kitchen brand worldwide. With a production area of 47,000 m² in Herford and approximately 380 employees worldwide, Poggenpohl offers ultra-individual, award-winning kitchen solutions in the upscale retail and commercial sectors through a qualified dealer network and its own studios in over 60 countries.

2018 – 2020

PT Kohler Indonesia, Jakarta

Managing Director

Founded in 1873, Kohler Co. is a leading American family-owned company specializing in the manufacture of kitchen and bathroom products, engines, and power generation systems. Kohler also operates golf courses, hotels, and spas. With over 36,000 employees worldwide, 49 production sites, and numerous sales offices, the group generates annual revenues of over USD 7.5 billion.

2017

Ward Howell International, China

Practice Partner

Ward Howell International is one of the world’s oldest executive search firms and has developed into a leading consultancy for strategic leadership issues, supporting organizations in identifying and developing transformative leaders.

2015 – 2016

Axent Switzerland AG, Jona | Shanghai | Xiamen | Dachang

Interim CEO

Axent Switzerland AG is a Chinese technology leader in the sanitary industry, which has established itself as an internationally renowned brand manufacturer of innovative bathroom and wellness products as a full-range supplier. Axent develops, produces, and markets its products through its own stores in China and a global dealer network. Axent also develops and manufactures products for renowned global bathroom manufacturers. With 4,000 employees at locations in China, the US, and Switzerland, the company generated sales of €170 million in 2016.

2004 – 2014

Duravit AG, Hornberg | Chongqing | Shanghai | Beijing | Guangzhou

Managing Director and Member of the Executive Board, China

Duravit was founded in 1817 and is one of Germany’s leading suppliers in the bathroom industry. The Duravit Group is dedicated to “living in the bathroom” and covers the entire spectrum of luxury bathroom furnishings with its sanitary ceramics, bathroom furniture, bathtubs, wellness products, and SensoWash (shower toilets) divisions. Duravit generates €460 million in sales (2016), has approximately 6,000 employees, comprises 12 production sites and 35 affiliated companies, and is present in over 120 countries.

1996 – 2003

Züblin International GmbH, Stuttgart | Hong Kong | Shanghai

Managing Director and Member of the Executive Board, China

Züblin is one of Germany’s largest construction companies with branches and subsidiaries in Germany and abroad. Züblin impresses with the innovative strength of its 14,000 employees, who excel in intelligent designs, new building materials, and advanced manufacturing methods with pioneering turnkey buildings and sensational bridges and tunnels in civil engineering around the world.

1992 – 1995

Ferrostaal AG, Essen | Jakarta

Managing Director, Printing and Packaging Machines Indonesia

Ferrostaal (Print & Pack) is a leading global, manufacturer-independent sales and service partner for individual machines and machine lines in the graphic arts, flexible packaging, and plastics sectors. With more than 50 years of experience, it offers comprehensive services in project management, export financing, delivery, commissioning, spare parts, and maintenance.

1990 – 1992

Didde Web Press Corp., Emporia, KS, USA

Sales Manager Asia-Pacific

Didde Web Press was a global leader in the manufacture of narrow web offset printing presses and offers a wide range of printing press solutions for business forms as well as security and commercial printing.

1988 – 1989

Thunderbird School of Global Management, Glendale, AZ, USA

Studies & Graduate Assistant

Degree: M.B.A. (Master of International Management / Dipl.-Kfm. AGSIM)

1984 – 1988

Miami University, Oxford, OH, USA

Studies & International Student Body President

Degrees: Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Business Administration – Marketing

Bachelor of Arts (BA) International Studies – Asia

1982 – 1983

First Solid Industrial Co., Ltd., Taichung, Taiwan

President’s Assistant

First Solid was a Taiwanese owner-operated trading company that specialized in baby toys (Fischer Price) and promotional gifts for the US, Japan, and Europe.

Contact

Asian Growth Advisory

Shanghai   |   Stuttgart

+ 49 176 25302624  |  +86 134 02006412  |  info@dirklange.net