VIGA Faucet Manufacturer 
Bathroom Business School
Recently, a number of domestic and foreign sanitary ware companies have personnel changes. Grohe, Hansgrohe executives have left one after another to seek higher positions; toilet seat manufacturer Bemis ushered in a new chairman of the board of directors; Duravit, Aqualisa optimized the marketing team personnel mix; domestic companies R & T also made public the newly appointed general manager, deputy general manager, chief financial officer and other senior management team.
Former Grohe CEO to join Uponor
Uponor, the world’s leading manufacturer of underfloor heating systems, recently announced that it will appoint Michael Rauterkus as group president and chief executive officer, whose term will begin on August 21, 2021. He also described Rauterkus as an experienced and visionary leader with strong strategic skills and considerable familiarity with Uponor’s business.
Rauterkus served as CEO of Grohe, a Lixil brand, from 2015 to 2019. He has extensive experience and a wide range of contacts in the industry. Prior to Grohe, Rauterkus worked at Hasbro Inc., Levi Strauss & Co. and Kraft Jacobs Suchard (now Mondelēz), among others.
Rauterkus said he is excited to join Uponor, emphasizing that it is an industry-leading iconic brand with global reach. “I love this industry because water supply and energy efficiency are critical to people’s daily lives. I look forward to learning about the Uponor business, meeting the Uponor team in the marketplace, visiting production sites and discussing Uponor’s future plans with our customers and shareholders.”
Hansgrohe’s Chief Financial Officer Leaves
On June 1, Reinhard Mayer, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Hansgrohe Group, stepped down from the company. The position is currently being filled by CEO HansJürgenKalmbach on an interim basis until a successor can be found.
Mayer, who reportedly holds a degree in industrial engineering, joined Hansgrohe as CFO in October 2017. During his tenure, Mayer worked on the company’s capital management in addition to successfully developing the acquisition of Dutch bathroom company ESS (Easy Sanitary Solutions) at the end of his tenure. ESS is now a subsidiary of Hansgrohe.
Change of Chairman of the Board of Bemis
Toilet seat manufacturer Bemis Manufacturing has announced that Vesla (Bemis) Hoeschen has become Chairman of the Board of Directors of the company as of May 24, 2021.
Hoeschen joined Bemis in 1992 and has held various positions within the company. Hoeschen is a fourth-generation member of the Bemis family and is the great-granddaughter of the brand’s founder, Albert Bemis. Hoeschen, a fourth-generation member of the Bemis family, is the great-granddaughter of the brand’s founder, Albert Bemis, and is taking over the chairmanship of the board from her father, Richard A. Bemis.
Hoeschen said she was inspired by her father’s long tenure as board chairman and always admired his commitment to the company, its employees, customers and community. She explained that Bemis was founded 120 years ago in Sheboygan Falls and has grown into a very strong and diverse global business. “I am excited about the future of the company and I am confident it will continue to thrive for generations to come.”
Bemis has made one acquisition this year. in January, Bemis announced the acquisition of another toilet seat company, Bio Bidet, which manufactures smart toilet lids, a move that paves the way for Bemis to enter the smart toilet space.
R&T hired Zhang Jianbo as the company’s general manager
In May this year, R&T announced that the board of directors resolved to appoint Zhang Jianbo as general manager, Wang Bing, Deng Guangrong and Zhao Xiaohu as deputy general managers, Chen Xuefeng as deputy general manager and secretary of the board of directors, and Chen Shaoming as chief financial officer of the company.
I. Appointment
- Mr. Zhang Jianbo has been appointed as the general manager of the Company from the effective date of the resolution of the Board of Directors on May 14, 2021 for a period from the date of consideration and approval by the Board of Directors to the expiration of the term of office of the fourth session of the Board of Directors.
- Mr. Wang Bing has been appointed as the deputy general manager of the Company from the effective date of the resolution of the Board of Directors on 14 May 2021 for a term commencing from the date of consideration and approval by the Board of Directors until the expiration of the term of the fourth session of the Board of Directors.
- Mr. Deng Guangrong has been appointed as the deputy general manager of the Company from the effective date of the resolution of the Board of Directors on 14 May 2021 for a term commencing from the date of consideration and approval by the Board of Directors until the expiration of the term of the fourth session of the Board of Directors.
- Mr. Zhao Xiaohu has been appointed as the deputy general manager of the Company from the effective date of the resolution of the Board of Directors on 14 May 2021 for a term commencing from the date of consideration and approval by the Board of Directors until the expiration of the term of the fourth session of the Board of Directors.
- Mr. Chen Xuefeng has been appointed as the deputy general manager and secretary of the Board of Directors of the Company from the effective date of the resolution of the Board of Directors on 14 May 2021 for a term commencing from the date of consideration and approval by the Board of Directors until the expiration of the term of the fourth session of the Board of Directors.
- Mr. Chen Shaoming shall be the Chief Financial Officer of the Company from the effective date of the resolution of the Board of Directors on May 14, 2021 and shall be appointed for a term commencing from the date of consideration and approval by the Board of Directors until the expiration of the term of the fourth session of the Board of Directors.
According to public information, Zhang Jianbo was born in 1970, graduated from the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Xi’an Jiaotong University, and is one of the main founders of the company. Zhang Jianbo has held the positions of director and general manager of the company for several times since 1999 to date. he has also been the director and general manager of the company since May 2018.
R&T has been active in the field of intelligent toilets in recent years, and Zhang Jianbo said in a previous interview that on the one hand, the company will continue to maintain the leading edge of the invisible champion of upstream accessories; on the other hand, it will accelerate technology research and development and product innovation to continuously improve the market competitiveness of the company’s intelligent toilet products. Zhang Jianbo also said that in the future, not only in the intelligent toilet, the company will also extend in the field of the entire bathroom, continue to build their own brand of products.
U.S. Duravit reorganizes business development department
On June 9, Duravit announced the strengthening and restructuring of its business development department. In terms of personnel, Galen Stump was promoted to vice president of business development and technical sales, Nina Allen was promoted to business development manager for North America, and Bryan Huie was promoted to technical sales manager.
Galen Stump is reported to have served as vice president of technical sales and services for Duravit in the U.S. for an extended period of time, having served since 2018. His leadership experience in general management, years of manufacturing knowledge and business acumen led him to become vice president of business development and technical sales.Nina Allen was promoted after also having more than 20 years of experience at Duravit USA and a proven track record of performance in multiple departments.Bryan Huie was promoted from technical support and service trainer to technical Sales Manager. He specializes in post-sales and installation support, and will support the remaining two from a technical perspective.
Aqualisa’s new head of marketing
Aqualisa, a British bathroom company, recently announced the appointment of Kate Lovell as the company’s head of marketing, responsible for leading the transformation of its marketing and communications business. She has started as Head of Marketing on June 15, 2021 and will report to Mike Simpson, Director of Product Marketing.
Kate has 18 years of marketing experience in the UK and abroad. She joins Aqualisa in January 2020 as Digital Marketing Manager, responsible for the design and development of the company’s new website. In her new role, Kate will lead a marketing team, leading efforts including channel promotion, commercial campaigns, digital marketing, data management, public relations, and customer retention.