THE TALK 153
"I'm not new here, you know." Alexander Gedat has a simple recipe for continuing the successful Marc O'Polo run: Keep it up! Text: Stephan Huber. Photos: Marc O’Polo
Since October of last year Alexander Gedat has been the new CEO at Marc O’Polo AG, Stephanskirchen. After 44 years at the peak of his life's work, Werner Böck the majority shareholder and, without a doubt, an outstanding entrepreneur has retired into a "non-retirement role" at the pinnacle of the supervisory board. In the knowledge that this step had been prepared in an exemplary manner over the years. So, the change doesn't mean any break in the pattern, just a continuation of the path. Or as Alexander Gedat, who is still continuing sales and marketing as CSO, succinctly puts in his dry manner: "I'm not new here, you know." True. He entered the company in 1995, in 2003 he became part of a dream team with Andreas Baumgärtner - Chairman of the Board for Design, Marketing, Licensing and Production - that had been tied to the company by the unerring instincts of Werner Böck and that was perfectly complemented in 2008 with the addition of Jürgen Hahn as CFO. Get stuck in!
Teamwork with Baumgärtner is very important to Gedat. Neither of them stick stubbornly to their own areas of responsibility. Both of them are equally characterised by a constant yearning to do everything possible for the company and brand. "Get stuck in!" is one of the most seemingly simple principles of Böck's that shapes and shaped the corporate culture in Stephanskirchen. A corporate culture that can also excel in figures. Between 2006 and 2010, Marc O'Polo has grown by 100 per cent. This was no bought growth, it was earned. "Growth is important but not crucial", says Gedat making this clear and continues: "It is our privilege, we don't have to do it." But Gedat wants to do it! He is as much characterised by his healthy ambition as for his ability never to take himself too seriously. It keeps you grounded.
want and need to be an attractive employer. And we want to be a modern company. Sustainability isn't just a popular phrase as far as we're concerned. These investments also significantly contribute towards promoting internationalisation. The second point on Gedat's To Do list. "We focus on qualitative growth in our core markets. We have taken on and learned a lot in the past few years and this has been key in helping us now to open up new markets." Marc O'Polo has been given great impetus through continuous modernisation of the products in combination with intensive communication of desirability and positioning. Retail productivity has also been perfected at the same time, by own retail outlets as a permanent group. Gedat explains the path in three words. "The strong strengthen." Based on this, Marc O'Polo not only wants to make headway into the European markets such as France, the Benelux countries, Poland and Russia but also wants to gain a foothold in China. "However", he says wishing to stress the point, "always with the brand in mind sustainably and cautiously. Economic independence is the third goal. "No banks, no investors!" That has always been one of Werner Böck's major concerns. And that was a wise thing. Giving freedom
And another thing that Alexander Gedat and Andreas Baumgärtner want to keep: Granting freedom! Particularly Campus, the young premium fashion brand, which is to now finally break away from behind its mother's skirts, something not only due to being physically separated at last. "We have invested a great deal. In the product, in staff structures. Now, we need to let the team around Marianne Glaser get on with it. And how have boundaries been set? Alexander Gedat grins: "It's quite simple. I'm not allowed to dress in anything from Campus."
The strong strengthen
He formulates the three central goals for the future and the fact he mentions the first stage is developing into a holistic company, is no mere accident. A nursery school is in the pipeline, the staff canteen is to be converted to organic meals, sensible car sharing models have been introduced and encouraged. Gedat: "These investments all target values that are important to us, but also bring great benefits in competing. We
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style in progress 113
