Generation change at JBL (Germany)
When Joachim Böhme founded the company JBL in Ludwigshafen in 1960, he could only hope that his company would remain in family ownership later on. When his son, Roland Böhme, took over the management in 1991, the second generation was assured. Exactly 30 years later, on 04 January 2021, the time had come: With Stella Kaltenmeier-Böhme, Roland Böhme’s daughter took over the management of JBL in the third generation. Her father will assist her as strategic managing director.
Stella Kaltenmeier-Böhme completed her Master’s degree in “International SME Management” and then worked for four years in a medium-sized company in Heidelberg. At JBL she carried out several internships in almost all departments. One of the most important experiences was a further six months in the JBL field service, during which she got to know the retail landscape of the pet industry. Privately, she has been running an aquarium since her childhood and got to know aquaristic research in the rainforest for the first time on the JBL Venezuela Expedition in 2016. She is looking forward to expanding this knowledge on the upcoming expedition to Colombia in 2022.
At JBL, the expansion of digitalization is at the top of her to-do list. She was particularly impressed by the low staff turnover at JBL. Stella Kaltenmeier-Böhme has known many employees since she was a child and now sees how they have developed at JBL. Her two brothers have also joined the company as partners. The whole JBL team is very pleased that JBL remains in family ownership.