Running a family business has its own challenges, whether it is a small or medium-sized enterprise or an employer of hundreds of professionals. Katharina Hartmann, a graduate of the TUM School of Management and CEO of Hartmann Möbelwerke, knows this all too well: she is the fourth generation to run her family business. Originally, the 32-year-old from the Münster region hadn't even planned to take over the company founded by her great-grandfather 113 years ago - but now the family business has won two awards for sustainability, and Katharina says: "The 'I' in tradition stands for innovation.”

 A homecoming of purpose

The headquarters of Hartmann Möbelwerke is just 300 meters from Katharina’s childhood home. But her first steps after graduation took her far away: to volunteer in South America and finally, in 2011, to Munich to study for a bachelor's degree in management and technology at the TUM School of Management. After graduating in 2013, she went on to complete her master's degree in Technology and Management at TUM, with a focus on Finance, Accounting, and IT.

Her first job was at Roland Berger, first in Munich, then in the Düsseldorf office. She then  joined a Danish energy infrastructure company. Until then, the potential entry into the family business had never been a major family concern or expectation. "I had a lot of freedom to follow my own path, to do what I was interested in and what I enjoyed - and then my father asked me if I could even imagine returning to wood and furniture, to returning home, or if I had found my professional place where I'd like to stay.

Katharina did her research, took the time to analyze the market, to figure out if she had passion for the company and the product, and made the decision to come home. First as head of finance, IT and HR, while learning the product development processes, and since 2024 as CEO, becoming an entrepreneur from head to toe.

Become successful: Stay sustainable and local

Katharina knew that the furniture market had changed drastically over the past decade. Today a handful of groups  dominate the retail market, creating an imbalance of power and putting manufacturing companies in a difficult negotiating position. For her, this is also the key to developing a strategy for running a business that can last for five generations or more: not only creating a good product, but also navigating these market structures and finding innovative approaches. in order to sell that product successfully.

She identifies two key factors for a successful product and production: staying sustainable and staying local. Even before she joined the company, her father had already taken steps by installing photovoltaic panels on the company's roof. They both believe in investing in sustainability and maintaining a commitment to the region. This includes implementing regional approaches in areas such as supply chains and the use of primary energy from renewable sources, while prioritizing sustainability in investment and management decisions and adopting a new perspective on resource management. Since Hartmann Möbelwerke uses only solid wood, reforestation projects have naturally become a cause they support. The results speak for themselves: Katharina Hartmann has received two German awards for her committed management - the Global Transition Award from Handelsblatt magazine and the German Sustainability Award.

Redefining succession in family businesses

Throughout her studies, Katharina appreciated the close connection to companies in theory and practice. In order to deepen and intensify the relationship with the special challenges of family businesses, she recommends working with long-established, family-owned companies. This could also solve the problem of succession: "I know the struggle of some family businesses where no child is interested in taking over or where there is no suitable successor. At the same time, many of my fellow students have shown interest in becoming entrepreneurs. A matching network would be a win-win situation for both sides," Katharina suggests.

During her time at the TUM School of Management and UnternehmerTUM, Katharina particularly appreciated the spirit of innovation that seemed to run through every module and seminar. Not only did she see the result in the many startups her classmates founded or worked in, but it also drove her creativity and innovative management as she set the course for her company's future.

"Sometimes it's not easy because things have been done a certain way for decades, and they've worked well. The employees have a lot of trust in me and in us, and they believe that change is important and can lead to positive results. They understand that what we now consider "old ways" were once new and represented a change from what had come before. Tradition is a commitment to endure, not to hold on," Katharina explains, adding with a laugh: "But of course we can't and don't want to turn the company upside down.”

Katharina's time at TUM has significantly influenced her management and leadership skills, particularly through projects centered on automation and digitalization, which helped her develop new workflows. This experience exemplifies a new generation that is applying innovative technology to traditional practices.