HARTING Technology Group honours Margrit Harting on her 80th birthday

As the daughter of Dr. rer. Pol. Friedrich Kohlhase born on 3 February 1945 in Schötmar (Lippe district), she can look back on an impressive career. From 1965 to 1973, she studied Business Administration at various universities in Germany, Austria and England. She graduated in 1971 with a degree in Commercial Education and obtained her second state examination in 1973 and went on to teach at the Dr. Kohlhase private commercial school in Rahden, Westphalia, until 1979. After the birth of her children Philip and Maresa and the subsequent parental leave, Margrit joined the HARTING Technology Group as Managing Director in 1987. Here, she was responsible for central departments of the company and managed the Human Resources, Quality Management, Plant Facilities, Advertising and Public Relations departments. She assumed the role of managing partner in 1990 and of general partner in 1996. Since 2018, Margrit Harting has been a board member and partner of HARTING Stiftung & Co. KG.

The senior manager of the Technology Group has significantly shaped the image of HARTING – which also will celebrate its 80th anniversary in September this year – and imbued the company with a modern and appealing image both internally and externally. With her contributions, the connector specialist developed from a medium-sized company with 1,300 employees and sales of DM 150 million in 1987 into a global player that recorded sales in excess of EUR 1 billion and around 6,500 employees for the first time in 2022.

In addition to her professional career, Margrit Harting has been involved in numerous honorary positions and is now – after many years as chairwoman – honorary chairwoman of the Philharmonic Society of East Westphalia-Lippe and the Minden-Lübbecke District Interest Group for Location Promotion.

She has received several awards for her services, including the Federal Cross of Merit First Class and honorary citizenship of Leibniz Universität Hannover and the town of Espelkamp. Its mayor at the time, Heinrich Vieker, emphasised this at the award ceremony in 2009: "The city would be a great deal poorer without Margrit Harting" and commended the entrepreneur's great commitment at the time.

Margrit Harting was a member of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce of East Westphalia in Bielefeld for over two decades. As a member of the General Assembly and later – with a twelve-year term of office from 2006-2018 – as Vice President, she was a strong advocate for the economic interests and development of the region.

Apart from her commitment to her home country, what is close to her heart? It is culture first and foremost! As a passionate advocate for Espelkamp, she has left a lasting mark on the town. She organised performances by the renowned Berliner Ensemble and its artistic director Claus Peymann and initiated guest performances as part of the "Wege durch das Land" cultural project. As Chairwoman of the Espelkamp Adult Education Centre, she promoted educational programmes for ten years and campaigned for the modernisation of the Neues Theater, which advanced to become the leading venue in the Lübbecker Land region.

Her commitment is characterised by perfection, professionalism, and inventive spirit, motivation and persuasiveness. It is precisely these attributes that she demonstrates in her commitment to promoting young talent. Margrit Harting founded the HARTING Research Award for primary school children as part of the "KiTec" initiative (Children Discover Technology). Here, ideas are stimulated, and technology topics are introduced in a playful manner. Last but not least, she also shaped and designed the NAZHA (New HARTING Training Centre) and gave the apprenticeship facility a modern face in terms of cooperation and team spirit at the Technology Group in the summer of the year 2008.

"We are not just celebrating a milestone birthday, but a life full of dedication, courage and enthusiasm," says her husband, Dietmar Harting. "A journey through eight decades, characterised by wisdom and strength, whose chapters are far from over."