Klaus Grohe passed away on January 3 at the age of 88. The youngest son of company founder Hans Grohe was born in Aachen in 1937 and joined the family business in 1968 after studying business administration and economics and holding various professional positions. Initially working as an authorized signatory and sales manager, he gradually took on more entrepreneurial responsibility in 1975.
Almost five decades in a management position
Klaus Grohe shaped the development of the company for almost 50 years: as managing partner, from 1999 as CEO, and from 2008 to 2015 as Chairman of the Supervisory Board. During this time, the company underwent consistent internationalization. As early as the early 1980s, he established a professional marketing department, laying the foundation for the global positioning of the Axor and hansgrohe brands.
Focus on design, market, and sustainability
A central theme of his work was the combination of product design, technical execution, and market orientation. At the same time, he was an early pioneer in the field of environmental and resource protection. This included the development of water-saving showers and investments in solar energy at the Offenburg site, which were implemented and awarded prizes as early as the 1990s.
Entrepreneurial and social commitment
In addition to his entrepreneurial activities, Klaus Grohe was also socially committed. In 2001, he became an honorary citizen of his hometown of Schiltach, and in 2009 he founded the Klaus Grohe Foundation. He received numerous industry-specific and economic awards for his life's work, most recently the German Founders Award in 2022.
Hans Jürgen Kalmbach, CEO of Hansgrohe SE, praised Klaus Grohe as a pioneer and long-term driving force behind the group of companies. The supervisory board, the workforce, and the shareholder Masco also expressed their condolences.