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On 1 January 2025, Reinhold Würth gave up his last leadership position in the Würth Group. The entrepreneur, born on 20 April 1935 in Öhringen, had turned a small screw trading business into a corporate group. In 2024, sales stood at around 20.2 billion euros, and the group employed more than 87,000 people. The handover did not come suddenly. It illustrates the Law of Legacy.
Carrying responsibility himself at an early age
Situation
Adolf Würth founded the screw trading business in 1945. His son Reinhold joined in 1949 as an apprentice and second employee. When his father died in 1954, Reinhold Würth was 19 years old. He continued to run the business together with his mother, Alma.
Link to the law
Anyone who had to take over early themselves knows the value of a prepared handover. Succession begins with the question of what should remain after your own time. Leaders should ask this question while they can still shape things.
Detaching the company from the founder
Situation
In 1987, Reinhold and Carmen Würth transferred the company into family foundations. In 1994, Würth withdrew from operational management. He took over the chair of the Advisory Board, the group’s highest supervisory body.
Link to the law
A legacy needs a structure that works without the founder. Foundations and boards separate the company from the fate of individual people. On a small scale, the same applies to every leader: responsibilities must be tied to roles, not to names.
Handing over power step by step
Situation
In 2006, his daughter Bettina Würth took over the chair of the Advisory Board. Reinhold Würth remained chairman of the Supervisory Board of the foundations. His grandson Benjamin Würth became deputy chairman there at the beginning of 2023. At that point he had been working in the company for many years.
Link to the law
Empowerment succeeds in stages. Those who first put successors into real responsibility can see their work and accompany them. Trust grows through tasks that are handed over, not through announcements.
The third generation takes over
Situation
On 1 January 2025, Benjamin Würth took over the chair of the Supervisory Board of the foundations from his grandfather. His brother Sebastian Würth succeeded Bettina Würth as chairman of the Advisory Board. Granddaughter Maria Würth took on tasks in the art and culture activities. Reinhold and Bettina Würth became honorary chairpersons.
Link to the law
A legacy is only secure when several shoulders carry it. Dividing it among different bodies prevents everything from depending on one person. Those who hand over should distribute roles so that they fit the strengths of the successors.
Saying out loud that you are letting go
Situation
Würth commented publicly on the change. The Stuttgarter Zeitung quoted him as saying: “But Benjamin is the future of the group.” After the handover he said, according to media reports: “I will take it easier than I have so far.” He announced that he would hold back.
Link to the law
Successors need the public backing of their predecessor. A clear word strengthens their authority inside and outside the organisation. Leaving a legacy includes the self-imposed commitment to stop interfering in how things are run.
Key takeaways
Key lessons
- Start on your succession long before it becomes necessary.
- Tie responsibilities to roles and structures, not to yourself as a person.
- Hand over responsibility in stages and accompany the successors as you do so.
- Spread your legacy across several shoulders.
- Strengthen your successors in public and hold back afterwards.
Summary
Reinhold Würth prepared his succession over decades: foundations in 1987, withdrawal from day-to-day business in 1994, handover of the Advisory Board in 2006. Since 2025, his grandchildren have chaired the two supervisory bodies. The value of a leader shows in what keeps running without them.