Lowa said that effective January 1, 2019, Alexander Nicolai will assume leadership of the Lowa’s operative business activities as the new chief executive officer. He will directly oversee the areas of development, marketing, supply chain, production and logistics.
The 43-year-old Nicolai has been head of design & development for the company’s collection development since 2014.
“Lowa is a product company. Our shoes are the heart and essence of our success. I am therefore convinced that it is exactly the right decision to hand over the management of the company to Alexander Nicolai, our former head of development,” said Werner Riethmann, current CEO.
Nicolai said, “For over 95 years Lowa has focused on the highest quality, a perfect fit and innovative product developments. As a result, Lowa developed into a strong product brand. I look forward to continuing this success story, setting the course for the future and further expanding the brand internationally.”
After heading Lowa for more than 25 years, Werner Riethmann, the current CEO, will gradually begin to withdraw from daily business operations next year. However, he will advise the new management team for two more years. In particular, he will focus on such selected strategic business areas as sourcing, production strategy, in addition to sales issues related to the subsidiaries Lowa Switzerland and Lowa USA.
The two other key members of Lowa’s new management team will be Rudolf Limmer and Matthias Wanner. In his role as chief financial officer, Limmer will oversee the company‘s finance, HR and IT departments. Matthias Wanner will be promoted from the position of sales director Germany to chief sales officer.
