"I celebrated my 65th birthday in 2022, and it was time to delegate the responsibilities to the younger generation. I’m pleased to have accomplished these critical transfers in the last years together with long-term colleagues, who provide the right social, business and engineering skillset required to steer Klippel GmbH into the future. With these new capacities, my focus on research, education and other projects I have been looking forward to for a long time can be enhanced," says Wolfgang Klippel.
With significant contributions to the fundamental research of loudspeakers and his habilitation at TU Dresden on "Nonlinear Transfer Behavior of Electroacoustic Transducers," Wolfgang Klippel has propelled electroacoustics and established his scientific accomplishments as the foundation of the company. He was vital in developing novel methods for measuring and analyzing small and large signals, linear and nonlinear parameters, holographic nearfield measurement, and nonlinear adaptive loudspeaker control. Moreover, Klippel has been closely involved in several of the standards existing in this field.
"Klippel's dominant position in the market is mainly due to its founder's unwavering dedication and exceptional skills. The company sincerely thanks Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Klippel for his outstanding achievements and contribution to the company's success. Klippel is also thankful that he will continue to serve the company as a research consultant," states Benjamin Barth.
The previous vice president Uta Klippel, stepped down from her duties at her request on July 1, 2023, to pursue new challenges, and handed over her responsibilities as an authorized officer to a long-time Klippel GmbH employee Mrs. Anke Schneider de Mena. Uta Klippel played a crucial role in expanding Klippel's global presence providing unique test equipment for electro-acoustical transducers and audio systems. Together with her team, Mrs. Klippel built the organization and management structures of the company, controlling sales, finances and administration from the start-up phase until today. Uta Klippel will remain associated with the company as a chairman of the newly founded charitable Klippel Foundation (KLIPPEL Stiftung).
The reassignment of the management structure goes hand in hand with a realignment of the organizational structure and is intended to give new impetus to Klippel's strategy for the future, now under the leadership of Benjamin Barth.
Barth has been part of Klippel since June 2013, starting as a Quality Manager and later managing R&D projects in 2015. Three years later, in addition to his previous functions, he assumed responsibility for all business processes and supported the former managing board in their duties. Benjamin Barth joined Klippel's management board in May 2020, and was appointed as the sole General Manager in October 2022.
"I am proud to announce that Klippel's management board has successfully undergone a generation transition. I am grateful to Wolfgang and Uta Klippel for having faith in me and in the entire Klippel team. The technical management for our two product groups (measurement & control technology) has also been smoothly handed over to two highly experienced engineers, Dr. Stefan Irrgang and Joachim Schlechter, and I have complete confidence in their ability to ensure seamless product development for Klippel," Barth adds.
Stefan Irrgang will be taking on the technical management role and will be responsible for leading the development of the Klippel Analyzer System, which is used for R&D applications and End-of-Line Testing. An highly experienced company employee, he studied electrical engineering at the University of Technology in Dresden, Germany, where he also obtained his Ph.D. in Technical Acoustics and is a true expert in his field. Stefan Irrgang has been an essential member of the Klippel team since 1998 and played a vital role in the company's growth and success under the leadership of Wolfgang Klippel. Klippel trusts Irrgang will continue to drive innovation and excellence in the R&D and QC System processes.
Joachim Schlechter will take over the other part of the technical management for the product group Klippel Controlled Sound Technology. Schlechter studied computer and media science at the University of Technology in Dresden, Germany, focusing on acoustics and signal processing and attended a master’s program for sound and vibration at the Chalmers Technical University in Gothenburg, Sweden. After graduating with his Diploma degree in computer science in 2006, he joined Klippel, where he is engaged in the research and development of loudspeaker control and measurement systems. Schlechter and his team will now expand the Klipped Controlled Sound Technology processes to reinforce the applications for KCS Technology in the audio market.
Anke Schneider de Mena accepted the position as an authorized officer on July 1, 2023. Besides her role as Head of Sales, she took over the responsibility as an Assistant Manager from Uta Klippel. Anke Schneider de Mena has been a part of the company since January 2011 and is responsible for the Sales department since January 2015. She studied economics at the Technical University in Dresden and completed a master's course in business administration at City University Seattle. She has gained experience in technical sales across various industries. In her further area of responsibility, she will coordinate the distribution partnership network and logistics.
"Mrs. Anke Schneider de Mena has relevant experience in the field of our customers, suppliers and worldwide distributors and has experience in sales planning and business controlling. For more than 12 years, I have worked with Anke in a very trustworthy way. I appreciate her a lot for her trustworthiness, diligence and for her knowledge and skills. I'm pleased to have handed over my duties and responsibilities to such an experienced colleague," says former Vice President Uta Klippel.
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