Gerhard Friedrich Dölker was born in Stuttgart and grew up in Gomaringen where he lives to this day. He is the grandson of Naturana founder Carl Dölker and was at the helm of the company for more than 50 years.
He started with an internship at Naturana and after the untimely death of his father in 1961 he had to take over the reins of the company at the tender age of just 23 years. For more than 50 years he determined the course of the company which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2017. He retired some years ago and handed over his business to his daughters Eva Dölker-Heim, Claudia Dölker-Junger and Stephanie Dölker together with CEO Andreas Höschele.
Passionate about product and innovation, Gerhard Dölker travelled all over the world, always searching for new products and regularly discussing products with the sales personnel of international lingerie departments. One of his great aspirations was exporting his goods outside of Germany – something he first experienced at the tender age of 20 on an 8 week trip around Africa in 1958. He regularly visited all Naturana subsidiaries until his retirement.
Gerhard Dölker was known as a tough negotiator, always sticking to his own rules even at the risk of losing big customers. He was one of the first manufacturers to travel to the Far East and forged long lasting relationships on his many trips there.
Not a fan of luxury, he always enjoyed fishing, foraging for mushrooms and collecting stones. He will celebrate his 80th birthday with his wife, his three daughters and six grandchildren. Congratulations!
Gerhard Friedrich Doelker
