Michael Sieber will retire as CEO at the end of April as Florian Sieber takes over, heralding a new generation of management for the company.
Michael and Florian Sieber
Founded in 1982 as Simba Toys with just five employees, then developing into a successful, international corporate group, the Simba Dickie Group now boasts 2,950 employees and annual sales of €715m. The company is now entering its third generation, as Michael Sieber will hand over the reins of the family-owned company to his son Florian Sieber on 1st May.
In order to secure the future of the family-owned company, Simba Dickie has laid the groundwork in good time and successfully prepared transfer between the generations. Michael Sieber founded Simba Toys with his father, Fritz Sieber, in 1982, overseeing its international development, and has served as its CEO since that time.
Florian Sieber was appointed his designated successor and co-CEO of the Simba Dickie Group in 2018. Florian has spent the last eight years as MD of the model railway manufacturer Märklin.
“Together with a dedicated team in Göppingen, my son, Florian, has put Märklin back on track – a masterstroke, I’m very proud of him,” commented Michael Sieber. “He has grown naturally into his new and responsible role at the Simba Dickie Group and is well prepared and highly motivated. I trust that with his knowledge and the perspectives of a new generation, he’ll be able to lead our family business successfully into the future.”
Michael Sieber will retire from his role as CEO at the end of the Simba Dickie Group’s business year on 30th April but will continue to lend his wealth of experience as a partner, thereby providing support and advice to the company.
Florian Sieber will become the new CEO of the Simba Dickie Group on 1st May, and the Group’s board will also include Manfred Duschl (CFO) and Uwe Weiler (COO) from that date.
Florian is looking forward to this new challenge: “We’ve been actively preparing the transfer between the generations at the Simba Dickie Group for a number of years now; meaning the transition will be a smooth one. I’m extremely grateful to my father that he never put pressure on me when it came to the question of business succession, but always provided me with advice and support whenever I was looking for assistance. I’m fully conscious of the significant responsibility I’m taking on in our family business, but I’m also looking forward to the new challenges and duties.”
The timing of the transfer between the generations was chosen deliberately by Michael Sieber: “The start of the new business year also marks the 40th anniversary of Simba Toys, which I founded together with my father. Even in these currently challenging times, our Group remains stable, healthy and economically strong. These are the best conditions for me to hand the reins over to my son.”
