He was a great entrepreneur and still had so much planned. Last Wednesday, Siegbert E Lapp (70) died in a tragic road accident, for which he was not to blame.
With a confident sense of technology and innovation, Siegbert E Lapp has shaped the Lapp Group into a globally recognised company. His life was characterised by passion, entrepreneurial foresight, and the ability to identify electrical trends and successfully translate them into sustainable customer value. “My father has always been a role model for me. He was my wise counsellor and my support. His sudden death has created a big gap. We will continue his life’s work in his memory,” said Matthias Lapp, son and CEO of the Lapp Group.
Passion for technology
Siegbert E Lapp, together with his brother Andreas Lapp, shaped the family business into a world-renowned market leader. Today, with around 5,055 employees worldwide and 19 international manufacturing sites, the Stuttgart-based Lapp Group is one of the leading providers of integrated solutions and branded products for cable and connectivity technology. LAPP has been run in its third generation by his son Matthias Lapp since October 2022.
The passion for technology was already in the cradle of the eldest son of the company’s founders: Siegbert E Lapp first learned to be a toolmaker and, after his military service, studied mechanical engineering at the University of Esslingen. After several internships abroad in cable companies and successful graduation as an economic engineer, he took responsibility for the family business in 1980. Siegbert E Lapp was instrumental in driving the internationalisation of the family business. He initiated the establishment of numerous production plants in Europe and Asia, such as Forbach in France, Italy, India, and Korea.
Many own patents and inventions
Within the Lapp Group, Siegbert E Lapp was responsible for engineering and production, as well as research and development until 2015. The development and protection of the intellectual property of the group of companies was a major concern for him. To this end, he founded Lapp Engineering in Cham, Switzerland, in 2005. In doing so, he was instrumental in positioning the Lapp Group in a competitive and innovative way in the global market. He was particularly proud of numerous patents and inventions of his own, which enabled him to enter new industries and markets.
Siegbert E Lapp took social responsibility out of conviction for years. As a founding member of the Kinder e V association, he was very successful in promoting better childcare for working mothers and fathers. He was Chairman of the Foundation Board of the Oskar Lapp Foundation, which is dedicated to the research of cardiovascular diseases. Siegbert E Lapp has consistently promoted young talent by establishing several LAPP Centres of Excellence around the world to provide young people with electrical engineering education. Among other things, he was named Honorary Citizen of the Municipality of Edolo, Italy, for his extraordinary commitment at the municipal level.
From 2015 to 2022, his role as Chairman of the Supervisory Board provided important impetus for the successful development of the Lapp Group. In October 2022, he handed over the position to his niece, Katharina Lapp.
Siegbert E Lapp leaves behind a wife, two adult sons, and three grandchildren. The funeral will take place within the closest family circle.