Does transformation always require a crisis? I believe positive triggers can be just as powerful. Yet in many companies, it takes a serious emergency to unlock the energy for real change. Or, as my guest today, Kai Teckentrup, puts it: “A company is, after all, just a person.”
In 1998, Kai was suddenly handed greater responsibility in his family business — and took over the company from his father in 2002. At the time: one computer for 500 employees. Armed with big ideas and little infrastructure, he kicked off the digital transformation of Teckentrup. Today, he hasn’t just digitised the company — he’s mastered it. For me, Teckentrup is a role model for how agile, mid-sized companies in Germany can lead the way forward.
Crises will come and go. But Teckentrup meets each one with speed, vision and a relentless focus on customer value. In this candid and insight-packed episode of Values & Levers, he shares not just his achievements — but the challenges and setbacks that shaped his journey. A must-listen for anyone navigating change or rethinking what agility really means.
CEO Teckentrup Door Solutions
