GERMANY. Gebr Heinemann has named Dr. Dirk Schneider as Chief Commercial Officer, effective from 1 September. He was previously a senior executive at fashion company s.Oliver Group and will succeed Kay Spanger, who retires at the end of 2020. Schneider will also join the Executive Board of the Hamburg-based travel retailer and distributor.
Spanger (62), who began his career at Gebr Heinemann as an apprentice in 1979, will continue as an advisor to the company from September until the end of the year.
Co-Owners Claus and Gunnar Heinemann said: “Kay Spanger has helped shape Gebr Heinemann for over four decades and has made a very significant contribution to position us as a successful family business in a highly competitive market. We would like to thank him for his commitment, with which he has strongly influenced Gebr Heinemann as well as the travel retail industry.”
Schneider’s latest role was Chief Digital & Operating Officer at s.Oliver Group. There he was responsible for the multi-brand fashion company’s digital and omnichannel strategy, ecommerce, IT and global logistics.
Previously, the 44-year-old father of three managed the German apparel, accessories, watches & jewellery business of online powerhouse Amazon. He has also worked for Payback and for strategic consultancy Oliver Wyman.
“We are delighted that in Dirk Schneider we have been able to win an experienced manager with an international background for Gebr Heinemann,” said Claus Heinemann.
“Dirk Schneider brings with him the right know-how, especially from s.Oliver and Amazon,” added Gunnar Heinemann.
“I am pleased that we are able to strengthen our Executive Board with Dirk Schneider,” said Max Heinemann, CEO and representative of the fifth generation of owners of Gebr Heinemann.
“His experience with data-driven and digitalised processes in purchasing and logistics will help us to continue on the path we have already embarked on towards the future.
“The fact that Kay Spanger will be able to support Dirk Schneider during the last four months of this difficult year will also facilitate the transition after such a formative period. With Kay, a true symbolic figure is leaving us. He has done a lot for Gebr Heinemann’s standing in the market.”
Kay Spanger was named one of The Moodie Davitt Report People of the Year in 2019, in recognition of his 40 years in the industry and the respect in which he is held.
Our commentary noted: “On 1 September 1979 a young man called Kay Spanger arrived to take up a new job with German travel retailer and wholesaler Gebr Heinemann. It would be the start of a remarkable career with the family firm, one that is still going strong.
“He is known, as a “tough cookie”, which by definition does not crumble. If the industry could bottle Kay’s passion and enthusiasm for the business as an ‘Eau de Kay’, it would be a better place.”
“In a family-owned firm, especially one that has survived through multiple generations, trusted lieutenants play a critical role and there are few, if any, more trusted than Spanger, who is now Chief Commercial Officer under CEO Max Heinemann (fifth-generation Heinemann).
“Spanger has earned a reputation over the years for being a tough negotiator in his dealings with the brand community, but those same suppliers also honour him with a deep respect for his straight talking, integrity and commitment and passion for the business.”
In a tribute feature in our Cannes edition (see below) to mark Spanger’s 40 years in travel retail, Martin Moodie wrote: “When Kay champions something – fragrance and wine, notably – he does so with a vengeance and makes a real difference. He is known, as [long-time Gebr Heinemann Managing Director] Harry Diehl notes fondly, as a “tough cookie”, which by definition of course does not crumble. If the industry could bottle Kay’s passion and enthusiasm for the business as an ‘Eau de Kay’, it would be a better place.”
Brand partners too paid tribute in our Cannes 2019 edition to the contribution and way of doing business that Kay Spanger brought to the party. L’Oréal Travel Retail Managing Director Vincent Boinay said: “Kay is not only a long time serving and ‘sustainable’ executive, but he is also a role model for many of us in the way he handled his career and how he helped professionalise Heinemann. On top of that, he is always knowledgeable and curious about brands and products, he is generous with teams, and he cares about relationship and trust.”
Mast-Jägermeister Head of Customer Development Global Travel Retail Hans-Manuel Vogt said, “Kay is a great and unique character. Hard and always focused in business, very cordial and reliable in friendship. Always up to date, he loves to be involved in every detail.”
Hermès Managing Director Travel Ségolène Audras-Verdillon said: “We still can count on his great energy, enthusiasm, commitment and passion for the business, but as well as for his attachment to relationships. Kay appreciates the finer things in life, so it is always a pleasure to share moments with him and the long-lasting friendship we have developed.”
