d&b audiotechnik’s COO, Stephan Greiner, and d&b group’s CPSO, Karen Wefelmeyer, have decided to step down for personal reasons. After eight very successful years with d&b audiotechnik, COO Stephan Greiner has decided to follow different priorities in his professional career. To ensure the continuation of this successful journey, d&b has appointed Jaakko Kaivonen to the new role of CRO (Chief Revenue Officer) starting with immediate effect.
Kaivonen has an outstanding track record and brings extensive experience in leading global sales structures in the B2B business. His expertise in leading business units experiencing dynamic growth will be instrumental for d&b audiotechnik’s growth path. In his various senior management functions, Kaivonen has held full P&L responsibility in his past companies which include global responsibility for the Industrial Segment for Entrance Systems Division at ASSA ABLOY Group as well as several senior leadership roles at KONE Corporation.
"I am excited to welcome Jaakko to our executive team and the d&b family," says Amnon Harman, CEO of d&b group. "To drive future strategic growth and strengthen our market position, the establishment of a dedicated CRO organization is a key step. With this customer and market centric business unit, Jaakko will put a clear focus on our growth strategy built on existing strong relationships with our reselling partners, direct accounts and key opinion leaders as well the required support structure to further improve the partner and customer experience with d&b."
“I am truly excited and honored to join d&b audiotechnik and its team of dedicated and committed professionals. d&b has absolutely the leading products and solutions in the market, excellent customer service and a true commitment to customer excellence," says Kaivonen. "d&b's outstanding team of professionals have throughout the years made a profound difference in the industry and I look forward to working alongside with this talented team to drive growth, expand global reach, and deliver exceptional solutions to our customers."
Transition in HR and Sustainability
In her nine successful years of true dedication and leadership, d&b group’s CPSO (Chief People and Sustainability Officer) Karen Wefelmeyer has shaped and professionalized the HR department and saw the need to engage in sustainability matters early on, which resulted in creating a strong sustainability reputation for d&b group. She has now decided to end her d&b journey to have more time for her family commitments. She will dedicate the remaining time to ensure a smooth handover to her successor.
As of March 17, Nicola Wagener will join d&b group as CPSO. With this appointment, d&b gains an accomplished leader with strong general business acumen and an expertise in organizational transformation and strategy. Over the past 20+ years, Wagener has driven performance and organizational change across industries, starting as a top management consultant at McKinsey & Company, followed by her role as Head of Corporate Strategy & Portfolio at thyssenkrupp AG, and until recently as a leadership advisor at ghSMART. She brings the right skillset to manage diverse, multi-cultural teams and support both projects and employees through transformation.
"I have had the honor of working alongside Nicola in the past and treasure her strong analytical skills and her impact-driven mindset," comments Harman. "I am very confident that her pragmatic, systematic working style and her extensive expertise in people development will greatly benefit d&b’s future growth and our staff. I am thrilled to welcome such a talented leader to our executive team."
"I am excited to join this exceptional company. What stands out to me most is the vibrant, positive culture, the hands-on mentality, and the pride people take in being part of the d&b family," says Nicola Wagener. "I look forward to getting to know the d&b community better, supporting change processes and enabling the organization's next phase of growth from a people and sustainability perspective."
"I want to express my deepest gratitude to Stephan Greiner and Karen Wefelmeyer for their outstanding contribution and dedication to d&b. Together with my fellow d&b’ans, I wish them all the best for their own personal and professional journeys. At the same time, I am extremely pleased to welcome Jaakko Kaivonen and Nicola Wagener to our executive team. With their expertise and leadership, we will continue to build on our success and drive meaningful value for our customers, partners and other d&b stakeholders," Harman concludes.
The d&b group provides professional audio technology and AVLM solutions. d&b audiotechnik, the manufacturing side of the firm, is internationally regarded as a leading company for sound reinforcement systems in installed and mobile applications, with a reputation for quality of construction, standard of service, system integration principles, and pioneering technological development. d&b solutions, the service-focused business entity, offers complete and flexible audio, video, lighting and xR expertise, covering system planning, installation, maintenance and managed services.
Founded in Germany in 1981, d&b headquarters are located in Backnang, near Stuttgart. With offices in major cities around the world, the global d&b team numbers more than 1000 professionals.
www.dbaudio.com/global
www.db.group
