What does Riedel's new management structure mean for the business?

German wireless networking solutions giant, Riedel has revealed details of an expanded management structure, which will see the company organised into three different business units: the product division, managed technology and Riedel networks. Lutz Rathmann, CEO of the managed technology unit, has spoken to Headliner about what the new structure means for the firm, and the benefits it will bring to the industry.

With Rathmann leading managed technology, Rik Hoerée has been installed as CEO of the new product division, with Michael Martens appointed CEO of the Riedel networks unit. The decision to restructure the leadership team is designed to allow Riedel´s Group CEO Thomas Riedel to focus on accelerating business development and expanding the company’s global partnerships and networks.

According to Rathmann, the new organisation will enable each division to play to its strengths, whilst being led by a unified vision from the leadership team.

“We have learned that by working more closely together we have opportunities to work from the same base and level each other’s business, but on the other hand each pillar has a lot of specialities,” Rathmann told Headliner. “For instance, managed technology works and thinks very differently to the product business, which must be very much planned ahead, with things like R&D needing to be precisely planned sometimes up to a year in advance.

“On the managed technology side of the business, we have to think very quickly and it’s more and more the case that we have short notice before we go into action; we often have to be really flexible to meet demands of the clients. 

"So, there are differences in how we process things. We wanted to give more responsibility to each pillar, and by really gluing the top together with that circle of leadership we can have a central vision.”

In addition to helping drive Riedel’s continued growth, the new leadership structure will be pivotal in facilitating yet further innovation across the company. This, Rathmann explains, is not only beneficial for the business, but also for its partners, clients and audiences.

“We really try to take on new environments and give new ideas to productions,” he explained. 

“We have experienced 30 years of seeing an event from every possible viewpoint – from the pure comms side, broadcasting, organisation, security – we know everything that is happening on most events in different verticals. We really understand workflows on different levels, and we can bring our technology in to enhance those workflows. And we know how we can benefit the client.”

One recent example of how Riedel demonstrated its pioneering approach was with the 36th America's Cup sailing event.

“The America's Cup was all about bringing the event to the screen in a more exciting way than ever before,” Rathmann continued. 

“That was a good example of what we can do when responsible for the full approach to a project. We started in the boats and created a technical environment with 10 cameras on board with an intercom connected to that system, which created a RF network all over the regatta to the shoreside, so we had telemetry data, pictures and audio all in one ecosystem. 

"This meant that we could offer a greater spectator experience. We always try to push the limits to create more innovative ideas for the future.”

Reflecting on the internal changes, Thomas Riedel concluded: “The last year has given us time to take a deep breath and reflect on our setup. We realised that we would have to change some things to sustain the rapid expansion of our business.

“These past few years our company has seen tremendous growth, and 2021 is no exception. Now is the right time to broaden the management team to support this dynamic upswing. This reorganisation is the foundation to master current and future challenges to our business and to continue our strong organic growth.”