As of: February 15, 2024, 5:19 a.m
By: Sina Alonso Garcia
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Entrepreneur Isabel Grupp is considered a role model for women in MINT professions.
(Archive image, Instagram) © Instagram/isabel_grupp
Her uncle is well known and is considered a successful entrepreneur.
But Isabel Grupp's career is also impressive.
At just 37 years old, she runs a multi-million dollar company.
Trochtelfingen – Anyone who hears the name Grupp probably first thinks of Wolfgang Grupp and the Trigema company.
The 81-year-old continually attracts media attention and consciously seeks publicity.
It may therefore sound surprising to some that, in addition to the “Trigema groups”, there are other family members who successfully run a company.
Just a 15-minute drive from Burladingen, in Trochtelfingen, is the company Plastro Mayer - headed by Grupp's brother Johannes (69) and his daughter Isabel (37).
The medium-sized company specializes in the production of plastic parts and cables as well as assembly.
Isabel Grupp has also made a name for herself as an author and influencer in the field of corporate management.
She is followed by more than 22,000 fans on Instagram (as of April 11) and
more than 12,000 on
LinkedIn .
Who is the young entrepreneur?
After spending her childhood and youth in Trochtelfingen, Isabel Grupp laid the foundation for her career in her father's family business.
So she studied business administration and management on Lake Constance.
She then completed a master's degree in International Business Development in Reutlingen.
She then spent some time in New York before finally joining Plastro Mayer as a trainee in 2011.
She worked her way up there quickly.
She has been a member of the management board since 2015.
In her private life she is in a relationship with the entrepreneur Georg Kofler.
The 65-year-old became known as a juror on the investment show “The Lions' Den” and was previously, among other things, head of the TV station Pro Sieben.
Isabel Grupp: Exception in a male-dominated industry
Isabel Grupp is considered an exception in the male-dominated plastics industry.
She is one of the few women in leadership positions here.
With her expertise and experience, Grupp is a welcome guest in business talks, TV shows and panel discussions.
She also speaks on her social media channels about topics such as leadership, women in MINT careers and succession in family businesses.
“I want to encourage others to realize their dreams,” says Isabel Grupp in an interview with
Secrets of Success
magazine .
She wants to show women in particular what is really possible when you are passionate about something.
She herself was born into entrepreneurship.
Her father Johannes is her “greatest role model, mentor and best friend”.
Every day she goes to lunch with him and talks about the business.
It's not always easy for her to separate business and private life.
“When we are together on the weekend, my father and I are in private mode.
I would also like to be able to be a daughter.
But it was a process to get there,” she says.
Facts about Isabel Grupp
Birth: January 30, 1986 in Reutlingen
Position: CEO/Management Plastro Mayer GmbH
Other activities: State chairwoman of the Young Entrepreneurs Baden-Württemberg (since 2021), author, keynote speaker, mentor
Social media presence:
LinkedIn
and
Instagram
Awards: The 100 most important women in medium-sized businesses (2023 by Markt und Media), The 50 best female entrepreneurs in Germany (2022 by Handelsblatt), Top 100 Excellent Entrepreneurs (2022 by Speakers Excellence)
When it comes to commercial topics, Isabel and Johannes Grupp mostly agree.
When it comes to working style, however, according to Isabel Grupp, there are major differences between generations: “I'm very digital, my father still likes to use paper,” she says.
“We also lead differently.
He likes to be deeply involved in the processes, I tend to give him more freedom and a small amount of trust.
Everything has its pros and cons.
For us, both styles live in parallel.”
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Isabel Grupp: Entrepreneurial family as a blessing and a curse at the same time
Isabel Grupp advises women who want to succeed in a male-dominated industry not to hide their emotional side.
“You don’t have to be a put-upon, dominant, masculine self to be successful,” she is convinced.
“I often see attempts to hide the feminine.
This surprises me a bit – a woman can be a woman.
For example, I am a bit more emotional, but I am also very empathetic, I respond to people and listen to their needs.”
If you make a mistake as the boss's daughter, it will be noticed more clearly.
It's not just an advantage.
Entrepreneur Isabel Grupp
Isabel Grupp considers being born into an entrepreneurial family to be both a blessing and a curse.
On the one hand, you benefit in terms of your career - on the other hand, even higher expectations are placed on you.
“If you make a mistake as the boss’s daughter, it will be noticed more clearly,” she emphasizes.
“It’s not just an advantage.”
Plastro Mayer: Former subsidiary of Trigema, now independent
The history of Plastro Mayer is closely related to that of Trigema.
The company was founded in 1957 as a subsidiary of Trigema by Franz Grupp, the father of Wolfgang and Johannes Grupp.
The name is made up of “Plastik Trochtelfingen” and the surname of Josef Mayer (founder of Trigema).
Plastro Mayer GmbH: This is how your story is connected to Trigema
Until 1969, the Plastro Mayer company was run by Franz Grupp, the father of Wolfgang and Johannes Grupp.
In 1976, Plastro Mayer separated from Trigema and became an independent company.
In 1979, Johannes Grupp took the reins as managing director.
He has taken over the company completely since 1986 and now runs it with his daughter Isabel Grupp.
90 percent of Plastro-Mayer customers are in Germany, a large proportion of them in southern Germany.
Similar to Trigema, Plastro Mayer also focuses on production in Germany and wants to support local workers.
The 240 employees at Plastro Mayer primarily produce plastic parts - such as bottle racks and egg and butter compartment racks for refrigerators.
Customers include well-known companies such as Liebherr, Kärcher, Stihl, Hansgrohe and Eppendorf.
Plastro Mayer made around 39 million euros in sales per year.
Plastro Mayer GmbH: All facts at a glance
Company headquarters: Mühltalstraße 11 in Trochtelfingen (Baden-Württemberg)
Segment: Industry
Industry: plastic
Founded: 1957
Employees: 240
Sales: around 39 million euros per year
Profit: 600,000 euros (2020)
Managing Director: Johannes Grupp
Even though she says she loves working passionately, Isabel Grupp advocates taking time out - being kind to yourself is her motto.
“Women tend to be your own harshest critics,” she says.
At some point she started paying attention to how she spoke to herself in her thoughts.
“In the meantime, I have learned to be kind to myself.”