The HELLER Group mourns the loss of Mr Hubert Heller, who passed away at the end of April following a short but serious illness. As an entrepreneur, Hubert Heller put his heart and mind into everything he did and played a major role in developing HELLER into one of the world’s leading machine tool manufacturers and an international group of companies operating subsidiaries around the globe. Following his father’s premature death in 1959, he had to take over responsibility for the company at a very young age. In January 1960, he joined the family business as a young Mechanical Engineer. He was appointed Managing Director in 1961 and Chairman of the Management Board in 1963 when he was only 27. Throughout the approx. 40 years he managed the company together with his younger brother Berndt from 1969 onwards, Hubert Heller shaped the company in countless ways. Moreover, he left an indelible impression on many employees, customers and business partners.
“I was always the foreign minister”, Hubert Heller described his role in an interview in the past anniversary year 2019. As the ‘foreign minister’, he forged a very deep connection with ‘his’ customers, placing their individual needs and requirements in the focus of all business activities. He felt particularly attached to his employees. Until the end, it was very important and a matter of course to him to personally thank the employees for their many years of loyalty to the company during the annual Employment Anniversary Celebration.
After taking his well-deserved retirement in 1999, Hubert Heller took the Chair of the Supervisory Board of Heller GmbH and Gebr. Heller Maschinenfabrik GmbH, which he held until 2007. Even after his retirement, he took a keen interest in the company’s development. Visits to the headquarters and staying in close contact were important to him until the end of his life.
Hubert Heller rendered outstanding services to the machine tool industry in Germany. For many years, he represented the company in a voluntary capacity in various association committees.
“The company was his life. With Hubert Heller’s death, we lose a leading business personality who has been an important advisor to us until the end. Our sympathy goes to his wife and his family. We will always honour his memory,” Klaus Winkler said on behalf of the HELLER Group’s management.
