AHLEN, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--At the end of this year, the Ahlen-based direct sales company LR is going to renew its management structure.
The company’s CEO, Dr. Jens M. Abend, will transfer from Operational Management to the Advisory Board of the LR Group. The managers Patrick Sostmann, Tilo Plöger, Dr. Andreas Laabs and Thomas Heursen, will conjointly lead the company along the existing growth and internationalization strategy.
Patrick Sostmann (40), since 2006 with LR and responsible for Global Sales, will resume additional responsibilities as new spokesman of the Executive Management. Tilo Plöger (47), since 2007 in charge of Marketing and Operations at LR, will take over Human Resources. Dr. Andreas Laabs (41), who joined the Executive Management as CFO in summer 2014, will be responsible for the E-Commerce and IT department. The area of responsibility of Thomas Heursen (52), with the company since 1992 and responsible for the Global Partner Relations segment, will remain unchanged.
Dr. Jens M. Abend started his career with LR in 2006 as CSO (Chief Sales Officer) and in April 2007 was appointed CEO of the LR Group. Under his leadership the company transitioned from a family run business into a modern management-led company with professional structures and processes. Specific investments in the market and strategic positioning as well as decisive internationalization initiated a new period of growth. Moreover, Dr. Jens M. Abend was responsible for the change in ownership from APAX to the Quadriga/Bregal consortium in 2012 and thus laid the foundations for continuing the LR success story.
"Dr. Abend played a decisive role in the company’s success. We would like to express our sincere gratitude for his outstanding commitment and appreciate that we can continue to build on his expertise in the Advisory Board. At the same time we are happy to have such an experienced management team under the guidance of Patrick Sostmann continuing the success story of LR," said Dr. Andreas Fendel, CEO Quadriga Capital and Co-Chairman of the Advisory Board of LR Group.
LR Health & Beauty Systems GmbH
Under the motto "More quality for your life“, the LR Group with headquarters in Ahlen/Westphalia produces and markets more than 600 health and beauty products in around 30 countries. This includes body care and cosmetic products, perfumes and dietary supplements. In the fragrance segment, the company, which was founded in 1985, cooperates with celebrities such as Bruce Willis and Karolina Kurkova. With 1,100 employees and around 300,000 registered sales partners and customers, LR is one of Europe’s leading direct sales enterprises. Since 2014, LR products can be ordered 24/7 from the company's customer online shop. LR's strong market position is based above all on a high-quality product range and an attractive bonus and training plan which is unsurpassed in the industry. In 2009, LR established the LR Global Kids Fund e.V. which provides efficient and unbureaucratic support for deprived children and their families in many different countries around the world in cooperation with local institutions.
