Reinforcement for Sympatex management board

Kim Scholze was appointed to the Board of Management of Sympatex effective, January 1, 2023. As Chief Sales & Marketing Officer (CSMO), Scholze will be responsible for global Sympatex Sales and Marketing strategy. It is an absolute novelty that Sympatex divides the management in such a way and integrates a woman in the board.

Current CEO, Dr. Rüdiger Fox, remains in management, with particular emphasis in new Technologies and the restructuring of the Supply Chain towards consistent Circularity.

The proportion of women in management board positions has been only 8.2% in 2022. Important positions in business (management, supervisory board) are still predominantly occupied by men.

“I took office about six years ago with the ambition of making consistent sustainability a non-negotiable board topic in our industry,” says Dr. Rüdiger Fox, CEO Sympatex. “In recent months, fundamental progress has been made here: A consistent ban on fluorochemicals is now unstoppable worldwide. And the EU has set all the course to force our industry into a circular business model. The latter only works collaboratively across competitive boundaries. Kim Scholze has already credibly proven in the past that she is the best person to orchestrate such a process and to adequately embody our role in it. For this, I am happy to step aside.”, adds Fox.

Kim Scholze has been with the company since 15^th of March 2021 as Chief Sustainable Community Manager and Head of Storytelling. With Scholze in the board, the company’s orientation is clear: It is not about making the biggest possible profits. It is about attitude, collaboration, and a shared industry drive towards sustainability.

“I am a proud part of the sport and outdoor industry for over 30 years. I have been giving my conviction for sustainability, attitude and change a face – the creation and feeding of communication platforms are my expertise. Today, I am fully in with Sympatex, for different cases of platform-thinking. I identify personally with Sympatex and the company’s consistent and transparent strategy and, with immediate effect, I am Managing Director alongside Dr. Rüdiger Fox. My main function and responsibility are sales and marketing.”, Kim Scholze, CSMO at Sympatex.

“To drive change effectively, we need a different perspective and the openess for collaboration. In this sense, my biggest challenge is to find common ground for our ideas. If you are in a powerful position, like I am now, as CSMO, I recommend to always stick to the question: Are we working towards something that is relevant? If it doesn’t make sense to us as individuals and humans, it probably won’t be relevant to our customers and employees.”, adds Scholze.

Sympatex designs its products since many years towards “Closing-the-Loop”, communicates it, spreads information and knowledge and the strong desire of cooperation rather than investing in pure marketing campaigns. To achieve positive change towards alternative sustainable technologies, materials, etc., collaboration with players across the industry is needed.

Sympatex’ Focus is working towards something that is relevant in the context of the global textile industry. With a team of like-minded people, Sympatex is pioneer in the development of a circular and regenerative business model. Along the way, the company has already achieved a lot and helped pushing boundaries. And yet, the board still sees a lot of untapped potential and the enormous value in designing attractive and regenerative solutions.

About Sympatex

Re>Closing the loop. Together. By incorporating a climate-neutral and recyclable Sympatex membrane.

100 billion garments and 23 billion pairs of shoes produced p.a. represent Sympatex‘s future source of new raw material, once they‘ve reached their end of life. The intelligent Sympatex membrane has been used in clothing, shoes, accessories and technical applications since 1986 and guarantees being 100% waterproof, windproof and breathable – in accordance with the performance standard. Intelligent? The membrane develops proportionally increasing breathability at higher activity. New and far above standard is that Sympatex produces functional textiles from recycled and recyclable monomaterials. Sympatex will no longer use new materials from the oil industry in the future. Instead, used textiles are transformed into new, high-quality membranes, laminates and functional textiles. Sympatex is working with selected brand partners worldwide to close the textile cycle together.

Pictures: © Sandra Steh