Bernburg. Change of leadership at the Salzlandkreis district utility company, with a built-in transition period: the "new guy" officially took over on 1 January. The "old guy", Ralf Felgenträger, will retire at the end of May, and Dirk Trappe will become the sole manager of the KWB in the Salzlandkreis district on 1 June.
"We have been preparing intensively for the change that was due since 2024, with headhunters and in a certified assessment process, i.e. with an external view and professional examination of the 67 nationwide applicants for their expertise. I think we can be very satisfied with the result, which was also confirmed by the district council," says District Administrator Markus Bauer, explaining the succession plan. In any case, he is looking forward to a smooth transition and to paving the way together for the tasks ahead. This means not only pushing ahead with further digitalisation internally, but also keeping an eye on economic efficiency. This includes reasonable fees and the issue of illegal waste disposal in the district, including those groups that evade the solidarity of fee payers. Of course, the overall idea of development should not be forgotten either. In this context, the district administrator thanked the outgoing operations manager for his energy and extraordinary commitment over the past few years.
The Kreiswirtschaftsbetrieb (KWB) is an in-house operation of the Salzland district with currently 200 employees who, among other things, ensure that waste is collected and disposed of properly and that the district roads and associated cycle paths and bridge structures are permanently inspected, repaired and maintained in accordance with their road safety.
"I see my first task as ensuring that the KWB continues to reliably fulfil all of these tasks as a service provider and unit of the Salzland district in cooperation with all employees. I have already had the opportunity to get to know some of them in advance, at two works meetings to which I was able to accompany Ralf Felgenträger in addition to other appointments. I am also looking forward to strategically developing the company as a whole over the next ten or fifteen years," says Dirk Trappe, who may be new as KWB operations manager, but is not unknown in the region around Schönebeck and in the district: 15 years as a member of Barby town council and ten years in the district council, and most recently as an authorised signatory of the Saxony-Anhalt State Energy Agency (LENA). Due to his new role, he is now relinquishing his seats on both political bodies. He has also resigned from the KVG Supervisory Board.
Dirk Trappe is from Barby and still lives there today, where he not only grew up, but even made it to GDR fistball champion with his team in his youth. After completing his apprenticeship, basic military service in the German Armed Forces and practical experience in his profession as a master plumber and heating engineer at Erdgas Mittelsachsen, he also completed a degree in engineering, economics and management at the same time. The next step in his career took him from regional to national level in 2009 at VNG AG, which, as Trappe explains, is the only East German company with group-like structures that operates throughout Germany and Europe. A lot of travelling and years of long distances led him back home in 2013, when the newly founded LENA was launched. Dirk Trappe applied for a job there and became an authorised signatory.
"Today, I see myself as a specialised generalist who has learnt a lot about energy, from infrastructures, customised product development for customers and management tasks to the structures in the energy sector and political consulting. This is valuable experience that I will utilise in my new role. Managing a large company in my home region myself, with good partners, was a completely new incentive," says Dirk Trappe, explaining his decision to move to KWB and the Salzland district.
The 53-year-old is married, has a grown-up daughter and is a passionate musician, as he reveals. He has been playing drums and guitar since his youth, including with a band, until coronavirus. Today, he still plays occasionally, with friends or alone in the living room late at night - as a way to unwind after a long day at work.