Dieter Kress announced during his 75th birthday celebrations that he planned to gradually step down from the day-to-day business. After 49 years as head of Mapal Group, Dieter Kress withdrew from the executive board of the company Jan. 1. “Of course, I am and will remain closely attached to Mapal to provide any advice to my son that he may need,” emphasises Dieter Kress.
The retirement of Dieter Kress from the Mapal executive board marks the end of an era because Dieter Kress has shaped Mapal and paved the way for the company’s success. The question of his successor was resolved a long time ago. His son, Jochen Kress, has been president of the Mapal Group since Jan. 1. The company will therefore remain what it always was and for what it stands: a family-owned company. Jochen Kress, born in 1975, studied machine engineering at the TU Dresden. Subsequent studies as Master of Business Administration International Management at the Leipzig Commercial College were followed by his doctorate in 2007. Jochen Kress has extensive international experience, particularly in the USA and Asia. He has been a member of the Mapal executive board since 2008. In addition to his work activities, Jochen Kress is also strongly involved in teaching, research and business groups.
“It was naturally not easy for me to completely give up the responsibility for Mapal that I have borne for so long,” admits Dieter Kress. But “I know that the company is in good hands with my son. He has taken over more and more responsibilities in the last few years and has proved to be very capable as my successor.” He is very happy, for example, that his son is intensively addressing topics such as digitalisation.
“With MAPAL, my father is handing over to me his life’s work that he has turned into what it is today over the last almost fifty years,” says Dr Jochen Kress. And “I am very grateful for the faith he is placing in me. I am taking on my new duties with the greatest possible commitment and will continue to manage the company in my father’s spirit.”
