Wolfgang Grupp Junior explains why he "doesn't want to be a copy" of his father
Created: 07/22/2022, 17:30
By: Sina Alonso Garcia
Will he be the new Trigema boss?
Wolfgang Grupp Junior could be at the head of the Burladingen textile company in the future.
As he emphasizes, he doesn't want to be seen as his father's clone, he wants to go his own way.
Burladingen - It remains exciting at Trigema: Wolfgang Grupp Junior (32) or Bonita (30)?
It has not yet been finally clarified who will be in the running for the father's successor.
In principle, both would be willing to take over the position of Wolfgang Grupp Senior and know their own strengths - but do not try to eliminate each other.
In the "Chefetage"
podcast
, Wolfgang Grupp Junior spoke about the pressure to perform - and how he deals with high expectations.
He has a clear opinion on this: "I think it's very important that you shouldn't try to be a copy of someone under any circumstances," he says.
You have to develop yourself and go your own way.
Having a famous father is "sometimes a pressure in a way - but also a positive pressure." Many would dream of being able to do something like that.
You have to use this chance.
It becomes clear: the junior appreciates his father, but has no intention of becoming his mini-clone, as reported by
BW24
.
Trigema legacy: Wolfgang Grupp Junior is passionate about "bringing the company into the next generation"
Both Grupp Junior and his sister are aware that there will come a point when they will have to decide who will follow in their father's footsteps.
"The most important thing for us is to bring the Trigema company into the next generation," says Grupp Junior.
In the end, formal criteria could decide on the successor: Grupp Senior explained that he makes the succession at the tip of the trigema dependent on the choice of partner for his children.
Wolfgang Grupp Junior, son of the owner of the textile company Trigema, wants to stay true to himself - and not imitate anyone else.
© Bernd Weißbrod/dpa
While his sister is now in charge of online trading and human resources at Trigema, Wolfgang Grupp Junior is responsible for business customers and IT projects.
Both siblings joined the company in their mid-20s.
Both studied at elite universities abroad and bring a lot of theoretical knowledge with them.
In practice, however, things look very different.
As Grupp Junior reported to
Chefetage
, his parents advised him to start his own company right away - which is quite unusual in business circles.
So it is more common to first go to other companies and make mistakes there.
Wolfgang Grupp Junior: Son of the Trigema boss admits to making mistakes
Grupp Junior allows himself to make the first mistakes in his own company.
"I don't know anyone who started at my age who doesn't make mistakes." He would rather make mistakes at a young age than if he had only come to the company in his mid-thirties.
In addition, the company lives from long-term employees.
"That's why it's always good to start early." Grupp Junior is currently planning a "polo shirt vending machine" as a replacement for seamstresses - and thus counteracts the impending staff shortage.
Surname | Wolfgang Group Jr |
age | 32 |
With trigema since | 2014 |
studies | Master (Business Administration and Politics) at the London School of Economics in Political Science (LSE) |
While he doesn't want to be exactly like his father, there are some things Grupp Junior admires about the senior.
"We can learn so much from our father, he has this brutal discipline, this straightforwardness," he told
Zeit Online
.
His father taught him to go his own way and to persevere even in difficult situations.
As Grupp Junior points out, he and his sister "certainly have a lot of advantages, but also a lot of disadvantages from the whole".
Nevertheless, it is a "huge opportunity" and one should consider oneself in a very fortunate position.
