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Klaus Erich Agthe (born August 12, 1930, in Niederholzhausen,
Province of Saxony The Province of Saxony (), also known as Prussian Saxony (), was a province of the Kingdom of Prussia and later the Free State of Prussia from 1816 until 1944. Its capital was Magdeburg. It was formed by the merger of various territories ceded ...
,
Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
) is a German-born
businessman A businessperson, also referred to as a businessman or businesswoman, is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial ...
and
author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...
.


Childhood and education

Klaus Agthe grew up in
Apolda Apolda () is a town in central Thuringia, Germany, the capital of the Weimarer Land district. It is situated in the center of the triangle Weimar–Jena–Naumburg near the river Ilm, c. east by north from Weimar. Apolda station lies on the Ha ...
in the province of
Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...
, Germany, went to school in
Weimar Weimar is a city in the state (Germany), German state of Thuringia, in Central Germany (cultural area), Central Germany between Erfurt to the west and Jena to the east, southwest of Leipzig, north of Nuremberg and west of Dresden. Together w ...
and studied
business administration Business administration is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. Overview The administration of a business includes the performance o ...
at the
Humboldt University The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public university, public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III of Prussia, Frederick W ...
in
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
under Professor Konrad Mellerowicz. Agthe had not been admitted to the university but travelled to Berlin anyway and, without an appointment, introduced himself to Mellerowicz, who organized his matriculation, though he had never met Agthe before. In the course of his studies, he eventually followed Mellerowicz to
Technische Universität Berlin (TU Berlin; also known as Berlin Institute of Technology and Technical University of Berlin, although officially the name should not be translated) is a public university, public research university located in Berlin, Germany. It was the first ...
where he received his doctorate in 1958 with the work "Die Abweichungen in der Plankostenrechnung." He was sponsored by Professor Mellerowicz.Agthe, Klaus (2008):''Shadows of War: A German Life in the Century of Extremes'', USA: BookSurge Publishing () In the interim, Agthe had spent a year studying at
Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...
in Bloomington,
Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...
. The experiences and perceptions he gained during this time would shape his life significantly.


Career

After finishing his studies, Agthe initially worked at Standard Elektrik Lorenz in
Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...
, where he was mentored and significantly influenced by Harold Geneen, who was at that time the
chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
of SEL's parent company,
ITT Corporation ITT Inc., formerly ITT Corporation, is an American worldwide manufacturing company based in Stamford, Connecticut. The company produces specialty components for the aerospace, transportation, energy and industrial markets. ITT's three businesses ...
, In 1966 he moved to
Braunschweig Braunschweig () or Brunswick ( ; from Low German , local dialect: ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Lower Saxony, Germany, north of the Harz Mountains at the farthest navigable point of the river Oker, which connects it to the ...
(Brunswick), Germany, to take up a position with the Schmalbach-Lubeca company, where he ascended to the
Executive Board A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulations ...
of the company. In 1976, following the acquisition of Schmalbach-Lubeca by the American Continental Can Company, Agthe moved to the United States to become a Vice President of Continental Can, with responsibility for operations in the
Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
,
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
and
Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
.The New York Times, 13 November 1987
/ref> In 1983 Agthe left CCC (which had been renamed to Continental Group) and moved to the U.S. subsidiary of Brown, Boveri & Cie. to become its
chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...
, a post he retained after Brown Boveri's merger with
ASEA ''Allmänna Svenska Elektriska Aktiebolaget'' ( English translation: General Swedish Electrical Limited Company; Swedish abbreviation: ASEA) was a Swedish industrial company. History ASEA was founded in 1883 by Ludvig Fredholm in Västerås ...
, from which
Asea Brown Boveri ABB Group is a Swedish-Swiss multinational electrical engineering corporation. Incorporated in Switzerland as ABB Ltd., and headquartered in Zurich, it is dual-listed on the Nasdaq Nordic exchange in Stockholm, Sweden, and the SIX Swiss Excha ...
emerged. After ABB merged with
Combustion Engineering Combustion Engineering (C-E) was a multi-national American-based engineering firm that developed nuclear steam supply power systems in the United States. Originally headquartered in New York City, C-E moved its corporate offices to Stamford, Connec ...
Agthe considered retirement, but, subsequent to
German reunification German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic and the int ...
, he was asked to represent ABB in its transactions with the
Treuhand The (, " Trust agency"), colloquially referred to as , was an agency established by the government of the German Democratic Republic to reprivatise/ privatise East German enterprises, Volkseigene Betriebe (VEBs), prior to German reunification. ...
anstalt, the trust which had been set up by the German government to facilitate the reprivatization of the numerous enterprises formerly owned by
East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
. Agthe moved to Berlin and spent the next two years acquiring several former state owned companies. In 1992, back in the United States, Agthe finished out his career as an independent
Consultant A consultant (from "to deliberate") is a professional (also known as ''expert'', ''specialist'', see variations of meaning below) who provides advice or services in an area of specialization (generally to medium or large-size corporations). Cons ...
and a member of various Boards. He was elected to the Board of Directors of
Yellow Freight Yellow Corporation was an American transportation holding company headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas. Its subsidiaries included national less than truckload (LTL) carrier YRC Freight; regional LTL carriers New Penn, Holland, and Reddaway; ...
and VIAG North America, among others Since 2005, Agthe lives in retirement. He has been a citizen of the United States since 1984. On 1 August 2020 Klaus Rehkugler will take over as Head of Sales & Marketing at Mercedes-Benz Vans and will answer personally to Marcus Breitschwerdt, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans. He is currently the Head of Sales Operations and Communications for Europe Area at Mercedes-Benz Cars Rehkugler.


Activity as an Author

Agthe is the author and co-author of various books and articles about cost planning and business administration. One of his articles, published in the German Zeitung für Betriebswirtschaft in 1959, is considered groundbreaking in business circles. In November 2008, Agthe published an autobiography entitled ''Shadows of War: A German Life in the Century of Extremes'' in the United States of America .


Works

*''Die Abweichungen in der Plankostenrechnung: Ihre Ermittlung, Analyse u. Verrechnung''. Haufe, Freiburg i. Br., 1958 *"Stufenweise Fixkostendeckung im System des Direct Costing," ''Zeitschrift für Betriebswirtschaft'', 29. Jg., 1959 *''Kostenplanung und Kostenkontrolle im Industriebetrieb'', Verlag für Unternehmensführung Gehlen, Baden Baden, 1963 *''Konjunkturgerechte Unternehmenspolitik'', Verlag für Unternehmensführung Gehlen, Baden Baden, 1969 *''Strategie und Wachstum der Unternehmung: Praxis d. langfristigen Planung''. Verlag für Unternehmensführung Gehlen, Baden-Baden, Bad Homburg (vor der Höhe), 1972 *''From Communism to Capitalism – A Businessman's Diary of the Changes in East Germany'', Indiana University International Business Forum, Bloomington, Indiana 1992, ASIN: B0006OYYW0 *''Shadows of War: A German Life in the Century of Extremes''. Booksurge Publishing, 2008, ISBN I-4196-9235-6,


Awards

1978: election to the "Academy of Alumni Fellows" of the Kelley School of Business,
Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...
, Bloomington, Indiana, USA


References


External links

*
Scientific Commons – List of Publication
*http://www.shadowsofwar.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Agthe, Klaus 1930 births Living people People from Eckartsberga People from the Province of Saxony American businesspeople Businesspeople from Thuringia Kelley School of Business alumni Emigrants from West Germany to the United States Indiana University Bloomington alumni Technische Universität Berlin alumni Humboldt University of Berlin alumni