The Partnership

Despite the vagaries of time, appliance manufacturer Miele Group, which began as a partnership in 1899 between Carl Miele and Reinhard Zinkann, remains in the hands of the two founding families. At the recent launch of the first ever Miele boutique in Malaysia, at Menara Kencana Petroleum in Solaris Dutamas, one finds the two heirs, and fourth generation to a partnership forged a century ago, namely Dr Markus Miele and Dr Reinhard Zinkann, who both serve as the current Managing Directors at the Miele Group.

“We’ve been very lucky,” Miele says, a smile playing on his lips, alluding to the unique ownership structure of Miele. In the case of four successive generations of men from two separate families being partners in Miele, it’s indeed a massive stroke of luck, a circumstance that’s almost impossible to find. Even Zinkann himself admits that he’s not heard of such an enduring story of corporate partnership, where three generations of male heirs have succeeded their fathers in a two-family company.

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