Hans-Hermann Deters is going to leave as chief executive of Kettler at the end of July after doing a pretty good job at the family-owned company, which he has led since the beginning of 2007, running its sports hardware operations as well as its garden furniture and toy divisions. He joined Kettler after 13 years with Reebok in different positions, most recently in charge of Central Europe. The 51-year-old German manager is expected to take a similar position with an important footwear company.
In the sports segment, where Kettler plays leading roles for tennis tables and fitness equipment, Deters has been instrumental in turning the company into a more marketing-driven operation. He has attracted good new managers, allowing the company to function under the leadership of its business unit managers until a successor is found.
Kettler has also become more international. An important recent step in this direction was the establishment of a sales and after-sales organization for the Chinese market at the company's office in Shanghai, which was previously in charge only of strategic purchasing. Led by a former official of Nautilus, the new sales operation made its debut at the recent China International Sporting Goods Show in Chengdu where Kettler made contact with 26 key accounts. Many of them were attracted by the “made in Germany” label.
