Market leader in foot care expands its senior management team: Jarek Raby appointed Managing Director

Eduard Gerlach GmbH is restructuring its management team: with effect from 1 April 2026, Jarek Raby – previously Head of Sales and Marketing at the foot care specialist – will be appointed as the sole authorised managing director. Together with the managing partners Timor Gerlach-v. Waldthausen (Chairman of the Management Board) and Jobst-Peter Gerlach-v. Waldthausen, he will form a three-member management team in future. With this decision, the company is responding to the increasing complexity of the markets, rising regulatory requirements and growing international development potential. At the same time, the appointment marks a historic step: for the first time, a managing director who does not belong to the family of shareholders and founders is taking on responsibility in Lübbecke in East Westphalia. As part of Jarek Raby’s appointment to the management board, the former Head of International Sales, Christian Csury, will also take over overall sales management – including the field sales team, sales operations and the customer service centre – with effect from 1 April. The Head of Marketing is Stefan Minner. The healthcare specialist moved from the pharmaceutical industry to Lübbecke last summer and is responsible for the reorientation of marketing as a central strategic management unit alongside sales.

Eduard Gerlach GmbH has stood for expertise in foot health since 1868 and has developed from a pioneer in modern foot care into an internationally active full-service provider of preparations and practice equipment. Against the backdrop of this development, demands are rising continuously across the entire value chain – from production through quality assurance and regulatory processes to international sales structures and digital marketing. The expansion of the management team is therefore an expression of a forward-looking leadership structure. Jarek Raby will take charge of the Technology division, whilst Timor Gerlach-v. Waldthausen will continue to be responsible for the Products division. Both managing directors act as each other’s deputies and share responsibility for the operational and strategic development of the company. Furthermore, Timor Gerlach-v. Waldthausen remains responsible for the other companies within the Gerlach Group – including research and manufacturing companies in the fields of organic agriculture and biotechnology / biostimulants (L. Gobbi Srl, Campo Ligure, Green Biologicals Srl, Vigevano, both Italy).

The new structure is designed to combine specialisation with corporate unity. The increasing complexity of the markets – characterised by diverse international market mechanisms and high standards for cosmetic products, medical devices, pharmaceuticals and modern medical technology – can no longer be addressed through strictly separate areas of responsibility. Rather, it requires close coordination and collaboration across all business divisions. The focus is on the consistent further development of the international business, strengthening specialist retailers as key partners, integrating B2B approaches into digital multi-channel marketing, and transforming core processes in manufacturing, logistics and administration. At the same time, sales, marketing and customer service are gaining further importance as strategic management functions, as is the sustainable development of the organisation and its employees.

Timor Gerlach-v. Waldthausen, managing partner of Eduard Gerlach GmbH and Chairman of the Management Board, explains the change in the management structure: “The decision to expand our management team and, for the first time, appoint a managing director from outside the family business is forward-looking. We want to reconcile the values of our family business with the demands of an internationally oriented industry characterised by significant regulatory challenges, professionalisation and demanding market dynamics. In Jarek Raby, we are gaining an excellent leader, both professionally and personally, who comes from a consulting background but has also grown within Eduard Gerlach over the past few years, knows the company in all its depth and breadth, and has excellent networks both internally and externally. Change and securing the future require a certain critical distance – and this is precisely the perspective he brings to the table. Together, we are driving forward the transformation of our company as a ‘GEHWOLution’: from a family-run, quality-oriented foot care specialist to a globally active life sciences company.”

Jarek Raby: Grown internally, strategically minded

Jarek Raby has been with Eduard Gerach GmbH since April 2021 and, most recently, was Head of Sales & Marketing, where he was responsible for key transformation and development projects. In this role, he drove forward the further development of sales structures within specialist retail and pharmacies, the digitalisation of core processes, and the establishment of a KPI-based management system for sales and marketing. Furthermore, he played a key role in the further development of the corporate brands and in the strategic direction of the company as part of the Agenda 2030. Prior to joining the company, Jarek Raby worked for international consulting and industrial firms. There, his responsibilities included the strategic realignment of sales and marketing structures, the implementation of efficiency programmes, and the development of modern sales and management models. In a subsequent role as Chief Financial Officer and Vice President of Sales, he combined financial management with sales responsibility and drove the development of scalable business models.

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Key biographical details (excerpt)

Jarek John Louis Raby

• Born on 1 March 1986
• Married, 4 children

Current position

• Since 1 April 2026: Managing Director, Eduard Gerlach GmbH
• 2021-2026: Head of Sales & Marketing, Eduard Gerlach GmbH

Previous professional roles

• Manager Sales & Service Performance, Porsche Consulting GmbH
• Chief Financial Officer & Vice President Sales, Seven Sundays AG
• Senior Consultant Sales, Marketing & Service, Porsche Consulting GmbH
• Master’s student – Sales, Allianz Deutschland AG

Education

• Master of Arts in International Management, University of Applied Sciences for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises
• Postgraduate Certificate Programme in Management, University of California
• Bachelor of Arts in Media Management, University of Applied Sciences for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

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