Burton is honored to officially congratulate Hermann Kapferer, the General Manager and SVP of Burton Europe, on his upcoming retirement after over 30 years with the company. Hermann will officially step down from his executive role at Burton Sportartikel in Innsbruck on January 31st, 2017 and will remain as an advisor to the company until July, 2017 when he turns 65, the official retirement age in Austria.
“Retirement is a monumental moment in anyone’s life, but for me, it’s especially meaningful because my three decades at Burton shaped so much of my life,” said Hermann Kapferer, General Manager and SVP of Burton Europe. “I never would have thought that meeting Jake at a tradeshow in 1985 would have such a profound impact on my life – from my career path and my passion for snowboarding to the friends I made and incredible places I visited. It’s been an honor to work with Jake, Donna and the rest of the inspiring people at Burton for over 30 years. And even though I’m looking forward to this next chapter called retirement and spending more time with my wife and four children, I will also miss my Burton family. But I’m very confident that the next generation will continue to lead Burton Europe in a great direction.”
With Hermann’s retirement, the top leadership role at Burton’s European Headquarters will be divided into two positions. Oliver Zaletel, the current VP of Shared Services, will run point on Human Resources, Finance and Operations and current VP of Sales Franck Waterlot will lead the sales and product portions of the company. Both Oliver & Franck will report to Burton President, John Lacy.
“Aside from Donna, Hermann is the individual at Burton I have worked with the longest,” said Jake Burton Carpenter, Founder and Chairman of Burton. “Donna and I are beyond grateful to Hermann for his vision, leadership and most importantly, friendship over the last 30 years. Hermann and I are the godfathers of each other’s oldest son, and we both proudly assume that responsibility as a result of our connection and trust in each other. I look forward to interrupting Hermann’s retirement from time to time for his valuable advice and to share some backcountry powder turns at Axamer Lizum in Austria, one of the most fun mountains in the world.”
Congratulations Hermann – the entire Burton family wishes you the best!
About Burton
In 1977, Jake Burton Carpenter founded Burton Snowboards out of his Vermont barn and has dedicated his life to snowboarding ever since. Burton has played a pivotal role in growing snowboarding from a backyard hobby to a world-class sport by creating groundbreaking products, supporting a team of top snowboarders and pushing resorts to allow snowboarding. Today, Burton designs and manufactures industry-leading products for snowboarding and the snowboard lifestyle, including snowboards, boots, bindings, outerwear and layering as well as year-round apparel, packs/bags and accessories. Privately held and owned by Jake and his wife, Burton CEO Donna Carpenter, Burton’s headquarters are in Burlington, Vermont with offices in Austria, Japan, Australia, Canada and China. For more information on Burton, head to www.burton.com and follow our line at facebook.com/burtonsnowboards, twitter.com/burtonsnowboard and @burtonsnowboards on Instagram.
