Lars Baumgürtel is the new IHK President of North Westphalia
Lars Baumgürtel (58) is the new President of the North Westphalia Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK). In April 2025, the general assembly of the IHK elected the managing partner of Zinq GmbH & Co. KG in Münster as the successor to Dr. Benedikt Hüffer.
Lars Baumgürtel (58) is an industrial entrepreneur who will succeed Dr. Benedikt Hüffer as IHK President. He has been a volunteer member of IHK committees for 27 years, representing the overall interests of the business community in politics and administration. The managing partner of Zinq GmbH & Co KG (Gelsenkirchen) has been a member of the IHK regional committee for the city of Gelsenkirchen since 1998. Baumgürtel also contributes his entrepreneurial experience to the Finance Committee, the Sustainability Committee and the Industry Committee, which he has chaired since 2018. Since 2022, he has also been the spokesperson for the North Westphalian initiative "In|du|strie - Gemeinsam.Zukunft.Leben.". Lars Baumgürtel has been a member of the IHK General Assembly since 2015 and was elected to the IHK Presidium for the first time the following year.
Corrosion protection and sustainable surface technology
Zinq specializes in surface technology and is now Europe's market leader in the field of corrosion protection on steel using zinc. The family-owned company develops and applies sustainable surfaces that give steel products a long service life. As an entrepreneur in an energy-intensive industry, Baumgürtel is committed to the transformation of the industry towards climate neutrality and a circular economy. Together with other industrial companies, he founded the "Klimahafen Gelsenkirchen" and supports the development of circular business models based on the Triple Zero principle (no CO2 emissions, no waste, no pollution) in the Circular Performer project.
►Read also our interview with Lars Baumgürtel on the topic of sustainable industrial SMEs.