Wilkhahn Announces New Executive Hires
Wilkhahn, the award-winning German manufacturer well known for its wide range of ergonomic office chairs and tables, announces the hiring of two executive level employees: Michael Lakner and Ted Zakowski.
Michael Lakner has been named President of Wilkhahn USA.Ā Lakner has held various engineering and management positions in the Semiconductor, Solar and Architectural industries over the last 25 years. He founded German Architectural LLC in 2013 which focused on energy efficient and sustainable building technologies and introduced several European product ranges to the US market.Ā Lakner earned an MBA in International Marketing from the University of Applied Science in Esslingen, Germany and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Applied Science in Aalen, Germany. In his new position leading the US operations, Laknerās work will enable the organization to achieve its growth and profitability targets and put customer success at the center of its initiatives.
Ted Zakowski has been named Vice President of Sales for Wilkhahn USA. Zakowski has 31+ years of experience in the commercial furniture industry with manufacturers such as Kimball Office, USM, and Krueger International and spent the last four years at Vitra, Inc. He also spent several years on the distribution side as a Partner at Office Furniture Partnership-NY and BFI-NY. He brings experience in working with both the end-user and the Architectural and Design community to create viable solutions for the clientsā business needs. Zakowski provides a strategic focus to the sales team by aligning and coordinating sales activities. His immediate goals are to increase sales through brand awareness and education in the direct markets while expanding the Independent Representative channel within strategic markets. He studied Graphic Design and Architecture at The University of Notre Dame.
About Wilkhahn
Wilkhahn (Wilkening + Hahne GmbH+Co.KG) was founded in 1907 by Friedrich Hahne and Christian Wilkening, whose names were later used to create the name Wilk-hahn in 1954. The sons of the founders,Ā Fritz HahneĀ and Adolf Wilkening took over the reins of the company afterĀ World War IIĀ and continued to make wooden chairs and furniture until the mid-1950s. The introduction of new materials such as steel,Ā fiberglass, and newer fabrics for upholstery, and the early development of plastic enabled Wilkhahn to transform the business from a highly manual craft to a modern industrial production company with international operations. As a result, the modern chair evolved, with notable releases such as theĀ FS Line,Ā Picto,Ā Modus,Ā A-line,Ā andĀ ON.
Today, the Bad MĆ¼nder, Lower Saxony-based German manufacturer is well known for its wide range of ergonomic office chairs and tables.Ā The company is also known for the architecture of its production sites, the pavilions in wood-hanging construction byĀ Frei Otto, already famous for his work on theĀ Munich Olympic Stadium, and the production halls by architectĀ Thomas Herzog.
