Manfred Siekmann has been at the helm of Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG) since 1991 - now he is retiring. On Wednesday 26 November, SWG bid farewell to its long-standing CEO. At the ceremony in the Giessen Congress Hall, Manfred Siekmann and his professional companions looked back on the highlights of the past decades.
"What I know about you is simply extremely impressive. A lifetime achievement that is second to none - I am certain of that," said Astrid Eibelshäuser, Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG), in her speech to bid farewell to SWG Board Member Manfred Siekmann on Wednesday 26 November. Around 150 invited guests came to the Giessen Congress Hall to celebrate Manfred Siekmann's retirement. Born in East Westphalia, he had been at the helm of the municipal energy supplier since 1991. Together with Technical Director Reinhard Paul, he has been in charge of the company's fortunes for the past two and a half decades.
One of Manfred Siekmann's greatest achievements was successfully leading SWG from the monopoly market that prevailed at the time to free competition. "Sales and trading were the challenges you faced with the greatest perseverance and expertise. You had to do real development work and take everyone with you on the road to competition. You, Mr Siekmann, have achieved this," emphasised Astrid Eibelshäuser.
Formula for success: Strength lies in calm
The SWG Supervisory Board Chairwoman cited a striking example as a synonym for performance and attitude. It was the night of the millennium change - minutes and seconds before 1 January 2000, when many sceptics and some experts feared that some computers might refuse to work on this historic date. One possible consequence: widespread power cuts. Manfred Siekmann, however, remained calm and even upped the ante. In the weeks before the millennium change, he initiated the biggest change of electricity supplier in SWG's history - from PreußenElektra to EnBW. "You carefully considered all the risks - economic, legal, competitive - among your employees and, with your presence that evening in the grid control centre, personally and with commitment accompanied this pioneering project through to its final implementation," explained Astrid Eibelshäuser, adding: "For me, this is one of the outstanding examples of your long working life in the service of the municipal utilities and stands for many more."
Committed and always ready to listen
Together with fellow Board member Reinhard Paul, Manfred Siekmann set the right course to make Stadtwerke Gießen a pioneer in the energy transition. With his perseverance and good arguments, he convinced almost every sceptic. Not least because of his involvement in numerous committees and associations, for example as a member of the Federal Executive Board of the Association of Municipal Enterprises or as a representative in the plenary assembly of the Giessen-Friedberg Chamber of Industry and Commerce. He also initiated the SWG Customer Advisory Board, whose members are the mayors of the municipalities in the region. On behalf of his counterparts in the district, Karl-Heinz Schäfer, Mayor of the town of Pohlheim, emphasised in his speech: "The motto 'A municipal utility manages the energy transition - together with the town and region' is very important to us municipal representatives, especially the second part of the sentence. In our discussions, dear Manfred, you have always lived out your regional perspective and your proximity to the local community. This has always proved to be helpful."
Manfred Siekmann himself emphasised on his departure that he alone had only contributed to a certain extent to the success of the past years: "I was most impressed by the people who work at SWG. The employees are enormously committed to the company and therefore make a major contribution to the fact that we are in such a good position today." Astrid Eibelshäuser used a number of quotes collected over the past few weeks to demonstrate that the outgoing CEO has always listened to and trusted his employees. For example, one employee emphasised that the freedom had been a great motivator to do the tasks even better. One employee said that he was particularly impressed by one thing - the annual Christmas tour: "He went up to each of us, shook our hands and wished us happy holidays."
Wilken Gräf, Chairman of the SWG Works Council, also referred to the partnership and trusting cooperation in his speech: "You, Mr Siekmann, have enabled a pleasant and productive cooperation for us, the Works Council, with your professional expertise, objective reasoning and calm charisma."
Reinhard Paul added that he had rarely met such a persistent person. "That was and is his greatest strength - not giving up, just persevering. That's how he brought so many successes to Stadtwerke," emphasised Manfred Siekmann's longstanding colleague on the Executive Board.
Musical portrait and tips for the successor
After the speeches, journalist Constanze Schleenbecker-Büttner, who hosted the programme of the event, announced an emotional highlight of the farewell ceremony: the performance by Heinz-Jörg Ebert, well-known to all as a member of the Three Voices. The Giessen-based entrepreneur honoured Manfred Siekmann on the grand piano with personal and illustrated songs that were tailored to the departing board member.
Before Manfred Siekmann officially handed over the baton to his successor Jens Schmidt, he thanked all his companions for the many wonderful moments and the good cooperation. He also gave the future Commercial Director a tip for the future: "For me, trust and expertise are the keys to success. So my advice to Mr Schmidt, to you, dear Jens: give the people of this city, this region and the employees of SWG the benefit of the doubt. Then I'm sure you'll always do well." He himself now wants to devote more time to his family and a hobby that has been neglected: "I want to play the accordion again."
The new CEO Jens Schmidt is already looking forward to the tasks ahead: "Stadtwerke Gießen is characterised by its cooperation with companies, business partners, customers and local authorities as well as its commitment to the people, clubs and institutions such as the fire brigades in this region. A genuine partnership that impressed me from the outset and that I will be happy to continue."