Antje von Dewitz at the top

VAUDE is 100 percent a family-owned company. The Board of Partners consists of the founding family of Dewitz:

• Martina von Dewitz (12 percent share and votes)
• Kerstin Sausen, née von Dewitz (12 percent share and votes)
• Albrecht von Dewitz, company founder (30 percent share and votes)
• Antje von Dewitz, CEO of VAUDE (46 percent share and votes)

The Board of Partners is the supreme controlling body for VAUDE Sport GmbH & Co.KG. There is a general meeting at least once annually. In this general meeting, the following issues are discussed and decisions are made:  

• discharge of the management
• approval of annual financial statements
• appropriation of surplus
• confirmation of auditors

In a revised version of the partnership agreement, the role of company founder Albrecht von Dewitz as an advisor was formalized in 2014. The task of the advisor is to advise and monitor the management.

The Executive Board consists of CEO, Antje von Dewitz, and two authorized signatories, Prokurists: Chief Sales Office and Head of Sustainability, Jan Lorch and Chief Financial Officer, Erwin Gutensohn. As of 2014, the division of product development and implementation is also represented on the Executive Board through Peter Sontheimer, Head of Product Development.

In the Management Meeting, all primary strategic issues are discussed, and decisions are made on key issues, for example, such as issues of risk management, alignment of company divisions, financing and sustainability strategies. Economic decisions, such as budget releases and calculation requirements, are also under the responsibility of the management.

The management structure at VAUDE consists of four hierarchical levels:

• CEO with Executive Board

• Divisional Heads
• Department Heads
• Team Leaders

The company is divided into seven areas and each area has a Division Head: 

• Sales
• Finance
• Marketing
• IT (Information technology)
• Logistics
• Personal und Organization
• Product development and implementation 

One divisional head post (Marketing) was satisfied by the CEO Antje von Dewitz in personal union. The sales manager Jan Lorch is both Head of Sustainability / CSR in personal union. The Environmental Management Representative Hilke Patzwall reports to him.

Directly under the Executive Board are the administrative departments, Business Development, Quality Management Specialist and Controlling. Thus, three members of the CSR teams answer directly to the Board - see also "CSR team as a driving force for sustainability”

On a Board of Division Heads, all divisional managers are represented. Here questions on organizational and operational issues in the company are addressed, especially in the area of personnel and organization, such as job security, job descriptions and salary system.