After a short, serious illness Rudolf Miele died today at the age of 74 in his home town of Gutersloh. Rudolf Miele, the grandson of the company founder Carl Miele, was born on November 4, 1929. He entered the company, founded in 1899, in 1953 and was a Managing Partner since 1960. Rudolf Miele worked until the very end for the company which he led, in conjunction with his partner Dr. Peter Zinkann, for over four decades helping it reach its current world standing as a premium manufacturer of domestic appliances. Miele employees on all five continents in more than 30 company-owned subsidiaries mourn the passing of their Senior Head.
Rudolf Miele was active in numerous offices and honorary posts, for example as chairman of the Employers’ Association for the Gutersloh area, as Honorary Member of the German Chamber of Commerce in Austria, as Vice President of the East Westphalian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Bielefeld and as Vice President of the North Rhine-Westphalian Employers’ Association. Most recently he was a member of the Supervisory Board of the medical instrument manufacturing company B. Braun Melsungen AG, Melsungen, on the Administrative Board of the Weserbergland Klinik hospital, Haxter, on the Advisory Board of the Allianz insurance company, Cologne and on the Administrative Board of the Sparkasse Bank, Gutersloh. He was a Member of the Kuratorium DRK (German Red Cross), Bonn, as well as a Member of The Development Association of Bielefeld University. Rudolf Miele was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit, First Class, by the German Federal Republic and he was declared an Honorary Citizen of the town of Gutersloh.
In August 2004, in the annual business report, Rudolf Miele stated the family-owned company would remain true to the company philosophy of “Forever better” under the new, five-strong, Senior Management team. Since the company was founded back in 1899, Miele & Cie. has been owned and run by the two families Miele and Zinkann. The Senior Management team consists of Horst Sch¼bel, responsible for finance and controlling, and administration, Dr. Eduard Sailer, responsible for technology, Dr. Reto Bazzi, the head of marketing and sales, and also Dr. Markus Miele and Dr. Reinhard Zinkann, fourth-generation members of the founders’ families. mp
UK Whitegoods would like to offer its sincerest sympathies to the family and friends of Mr Miele at this time and our best wishes.