iF initiates early search for a successor to the position of managing director

iF, which is headquartered in Hannover, Germany, is one of the world’s leading independent institutions for design. It has been organizing the iF DESIGN AWARD annually since 1953. With more than 7,000 entries from some 60 countries around the globe each year, it is one of the largest and most renowned design awards in the world. iF has subsidiaries in China, the Republic of China Taiwan and in the Republic of Korea. It also has representative offices in Brazil, Japan, Portugal, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Turkey and India. The iF Design Foundation is the sole shareholder of iF GmbH, which also bundles iF’s social commitment – both for promoting young design talent and supporting social projects around the world.

Ralph has been in charge of iF’s activities since October 1995 and has had a profound influence on the success and image of iF. At the age of 64, he will then leave the company on 31 May 2021. The necessary time must be taken to ensure that a quality decision is made before this position is entrusted to a new managing director on 1 June 2021.

“We have very clearly defined the competence and requirements profile for filling the position of managing director. This was very important in the search for suitable candidates – especially in order to secure the decisive lead in the competition among providers of design competitions and design-related services that we have gained in recent years" explains iF Design Foundation CEO Christoph Böninger.

Egon Zehnder, a globally positioned personnel consulting company, is the first choice when it comes to supporting iF’s executive recruiting: “We are confident that Egon Zehnder is exactly the partner we were looking for. This company is not only a leader in the market for personnel consultants in terms of know-how and networking, Egon Zehnder’s particular strength lies in their ability to find top candidates from Germany and abroad who fit in with the corporate culture. And because iF is so unique as a company, we naturally want to take advantage of this assessment expertise,” continues Christoph Böninger.

After handing over responsibility for the operative business, Ralph Wiegmann will move to the iF Design Foundation Board, where he will continue to contribute his international networking and extensive knowledge to the charitable foundation.