Robert Dekeyser

Bobby Dekeyser

Dekeyser on Markus Lanz (ZDF), 2012
Born Robert Dekeyser
(1964-10-07) 7 October 1964
Leuven, Belgium
Residence Hamburg, Germany
Occupation Entrepreneur (founder of DEDON; former professional footballer
Years active 1980–1991 (footballer), 1990–present (entrepreneur)
Spouse(s) Ann-Kathrin Dekeyser (−2010)
Children Carolin, Yannik, Marie

Robert "Bobby" Dekeyser (born 7 October 1964) is a Belgian-German entrepreneur and former football goalkeeper.[1] He is best known as the founder of DEDON, a Germany-based manufacturer of exclusive outdoor furniture with distribution in more than 80 countries.[2][3] An outdoor enthusiast, Dekeyser is also the founder of DEDON ISLAND, a luxury resort in the Philippines.[1][4][5] His autobiography, Unverkäuflich ('Not for Sale'), was published in Germany in May 2012 and rose to the top of the country's business book sales charts.[6]

Early life

Dekeyser was born in Leuven, Belgium, the eldest son of entrepreneurs who divorced when he was young.[1][7] Raised in Belgium, Austria and Germany, he recalls his childhood as "chaotic", leaving him with a deep-seated longing for harmony.[1][8] A self-described rebel and school truant, he turned to football as a source of discipline and self-esteem.[7][9][10] At 14, he won a talent contest, earning himself a place at the New York soccer camp of his idol, the Brazilian striker Pelé, whom he credits with encouraging him to "just follow your dreams".[1][9][11][12] At the age of 15, having attended nine different schools, Dekeyser stood up in English class and announced that he was dropping out to become a professional footballer.[1][4][7][13]

Soccer career

In 1980, at the age of 16, Dekeyser joined the Junior A-League team 1. FC Kaiserslautern as goalkeeper, staying with them until 1982, when he was called up for military service in Belgium. On his release, in 1984, he joined Royal Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium's second division.[1][7][14][15][16] In 1986, on the recommendation of the FC Bayern Munich goalkeeper Jean-Marie Pfaff, Dekeyser was brought in as a replacement for the team's reserve keeper, who was sidelined with a long-term injury. A year later he was transferred to another Bundesliga team, 1. FC Nürnberg, where he continued to serve as reserve goalkeeper.[1][7][14][15][16]

After a season at Belgium's first-division KRC Genk, Dekeyser transferred in 1989 to TSV 1860 München, where he served as starting goalkeeper.[1][7][14][15][16] In his sixteenth appearance for the team, he was seriously injured by an elbow blow to the face, spending several weeks in hospital. During his convalescence, he learned from the newspapers that he had been replaced as goalkeeper.[1][7][8][16] Despite his anger at the manner of his dismissal, Dekeyser was persuaded to make a three-game comeback for 1860 Munich when the replacement goalkeeper was himself injured.[1][7][8] He describes these as the "best three games of my career".[1][7][8] Although numerous offers from first and second division teams followed, he retired from professional football at the end of the 1990–1991 season.[1][7][8][16]

Business career

Dekeyser founded his first company, DEDON, while recovering from a facial injury in hospital.[1][7][8] He readily admits that he had no business plan or clear idea of what DEDON would do or sell.[1][7] His motivation was "to have fun working with family and friends", which he has since described as a motto of the company.[7][8] DEDON's first products were hand-painted skis, 80 pairs of which were sold, 50 of them later returned. It was only after a stint selling raffia giraffes imported from Madagascar that the company changed its focus to outdoor furniture.[1][7][16]

Dekeyser had first begun developing his idea of an "outdoor living room", furnished with the same attention to comfort, quality and aesthetics usually reserved for indoor living rooms, in the late 1980s.[1][7] Following his retirement from professional soccer, he worked closely with his uncle, an engineer and expert at plastics extrusion, to create a durable, weather-resistant synthetic fiber (known today as DEDON Fiber) with a natural look and feel.[1][7] Unsure of how to take his idea of the "outdoor living room" further, however, he had to put it on hold.[7]

Then during a visit to the Cologne furniture fair in 1991, Dekeyser met a furniture manufacturer from Cebu, a Philippine island known for the craftsmanship of its weavers.[1][7][17][18] The manufacturer agreed to help him produce woven rattan furniture using DEDON Fiber. Soon thereafter Dekeyser moved his family to Cebu where he spent six months developing DEDON's first woven products.[1][7][17][18][19] Upon returning to Germany he and his wife, Ann-Kathrin, purchased an old farm on Lüneburg Heath, close to Hamburg Harbor, where DEDON furniture would then be shipped from the Philippines.[1][7][19]

In its first decade the company, which consisted of a small group of family and friends sharing business duties and chores on the farm, grew slowly.[1][7][17] A converted chicken coop served as Dekeyser's office.[1][20] Furniture deliveries were stored in the barn.[1][7] In 2000 DEDON opened its own production facility on Cebu so as to better control the design and quality of its furniture.[7][17] This, along with the adoption of powder-coated aluminum frames, the introduction of more contemporary designs and the development of innovative marketing campaigns, helped DEDON to grow rapidly.[7][18] Over the next five years, sales increased by more than 1,300 percent.[13][21] Within eight years, the Cebu staff expanded from seven to 3,600 employees.[22]

In 2004 Dekeyser moved the company headquarters to the outskirts of Lüneburg.[1][7][17][21] The headquarters, which included a state-of-the-art facility production for DEDON Fiber, received media attention in Germany for their relaxed, family-like atmosphere and the many perks employees enjoyed, including billiards, yoga, sauna, gym and chef.[17][21][23][24][25] In the Philippines employees received above-average pay, free health insurance, free transportation to the factory and affordable loans and services from an employee-owned cooperative bank.[26] Berlin's Der Tagesspiegel daily newspaper dubbed Dekeyser's emphasis on employee satisfaction, both in Germany and the Philippines, "The Bobby Principle".[21]

In 2006 Dekeyser sold a 49 percent stake in DEDON to a US-based private equity firm but soon regretted the sale.[27][28] The "friendly atmosphere" of the company was being replaced by a focus on "money and numbers," he later explained.[29] With the financial help of investor Daniel Borer, a Swiss physician, who assumed a minority interest in DEDON in 2009, Dekeyser was able to pay back the bank loans the private equity company had left behind.[8][28][29]

Since the buyback, Dekeyser has taken steps to restore DEDON's atmosphere and values.[29] He has also sought to revitalize the brand's communication, releasing photography campaigns, short films and a limited-edition book all shot by American fashion photographer Bruce Weber, whom Dekeyser has described as "very much on our wavelength".[30][31][32] Other communications initiatives included the launch of the DEDON Tour du Monde catalog shoot, described as an ongoing, around-the-world journey to discover "unique places and moments under the open skies".[33] By spring 2012 the Tour du Monde had included stops in Kenya, India, Thailand, Mexico, South Africa, the Seychelles, New York City, Megève in France and the Philippine island of Siargao.[33][34][35]

Dekeyser has established relationships with several new designers since the buyback, most notably with Philippe Starck, who launched Play, his first collection for DEDON, at the 2010 Milan Furniture Fair.[36][37] In a promotional video made at the time, Starck is quoted as saying "Everybody loves Bobby".[38] Other designers associated with Dekeyser include Jean-Marie Massaud and Stephen Burks, the latter of whom appeared in a video with Dekeyser to promote the launch of his Dala collection for DEDON at the 2012 Milan Furniture Fair.[39][40]

In 2010, less than a year after Dekeyser's return, DEDON opened a wholly owned US subsidiary, DEDON USA, followed by the launch of DEDON's first US showroom, located in the SoHo neighborhood of Manhattan.[41][42][43] A Los Angeles showroom was opened in early 2012.[44] Due to DEDON's growing activities in the US, Dekeyser spends an increasing amount of time in New York City, although his primary residence remains Hamburg, Germany.[8]

In the spring of 2012 the company opened DEDON ISLAND, a luxury resort with a "barefoot state of mind" on the Philippine island of Siargao.[5][28][45]

Philanthropy

In 2009 Dekeyser co-founded the Dekeyser&Friends Foundation, which is based in Geneva and aims "to inspire young people to follow their dreams and bring about change in the world".[46] Since its inception, the foundation has brought young people aged 18 to 28 together for encounters with mentors, or 'friends', such as German Olympic double gold medalist skier Markus Wasmeier and Turkish traditional dance troupe leader Mustafa Erdoğan.[47][48]

One initiative of the foundation was the Hamburg-based D&F Academy, described as a "platform where knowledgeable and inspiring personalities can pass on their experience to young people from around the world in hands-on learning projects".[48][49] The academy's inaugural program was led by British anthropologist and environmentalist Jane Goodall, its second program by the former German national team and Arsenal goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.[49] In 2013 the D&F Academy underwent restructuring and now exists as The DO School, with Dekeyser acting as Chairman of the Board.[50]

One of the foundation's longest-running and most comprehensive projects is the Compostela Village Project, which began in 2009 on Cebu. This rehousing project has provided a new home to around 500 people (primarily families) who until then had been living on a dumpsite on Cebu. [5][51] So that they can build thriving and independent lives, the residents learn skills such as farming, animal husbandry, weaving and sewing.[5][52]

Personal life

In September 2010, while on a business trip to the Philippines, Dekeyser received the news that Ann-Kathrin, his wife of more than 20 years, was in a coma back in Germany. She died before he could make it home.[1][8] The story serves as the prologue of Unverkäuflich ('Not For Sale'), Dekeyser's autobiography, published by Ankerherz Verlag in May 2012.[1][8] Dekeyser credits family and old friends with helping him recover after an eight-month period he describes as a "hole that could not be deeper or blacker".[1][8]

In a 2014 interview with Larry King, Gina Gershon said that she was in a relationship with Dekeyser.[53] Since 2016, his partner is Baroness Freifrau Kicki von Michel. Dekeyser travels year-round.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 Dekeyser, Bobby; Krücken, Stefan (1 May 2012). Unverkäuflich: Schulabbrecher, Fussballprofi, Weltunternehmer [Not for Sale: School Dropout, Professional Footballer, Global Entrepreneur] (in German). Ankerherz Verlag. p. 208. ISBN 978-3-940138-21-7.
  2. ↑ "MinimalHome: The Home of Modern Minimal Living". minimalhome.com. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  3. ↑ Subido, Joy Angelica (14 August 2010). "German furniture, proudly made in Cebu". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  4. 1 2 Schmitt, Peter-Philipp (8 December 2011). "Robert Dekeyser: Er kann nur angreifen" [Robert Dekeyser: He can only attack] (in German). FrankfurterAllgemeine. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Ehmich, Robert (June 2012). "Der menschliche Faktor" [The Human Factor]. VOGUE Deutschland (in German). pp. 206–219.
  6. ↑ "Amazon.de Bestsellers: Business Biographies & Memoirs".
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 "Bobby Dekeyser". DEDON. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Griese, Inga (21 May 2012). "Das neue Leben des gescheiterten Bayern-Torwarts" [The new life of a failed Bayern Goalkeeper] (in German). Welt Online. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  9. 1 2 'Bobby', D&F Academy: About Us
  10. ↑ "Just follow your Dreams!". D&F Academy. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  11. ↑ Tönnesmann, Jens (14 February 2012). "Möbelfabrikant Bobby Dekeyser: Gefühl statt Kalkül" [Furniture-maker Bobby Dekeyser: Sensation instead of Calculation] (in German). Die Zeit. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  12. ↑ "Markus Lanz" (in German). ZDF. 23 May 2012. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  13. 1 2 "Talking Germany—The German Way of Life: Presenter Peter Caven talks to Bobby Dekeyser about dreams, fast-track school leaving exams and goalkeepers". Deutsche Welle. 15 March 2010. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013.
  14. 1 2 3 "Robert Dekeyser". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  15. 1 2 3 "Robert Dekeyser" (in German). fussballdaten.de. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Litz, Christian (4 June 2008). "Der Möbelwart" (in German). Rund: Das Fußball-Magazin. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "The DEDON Story". DEDON. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  18. 1 2 3 Yu, Doreen G. (29 October 2006). "DEDON Furniture: From Cebu to the World… In Style". The Philippine Star. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  19. 1 2 Bush, Michael (20 June 2011). "DEDON Outdoor Furniture". REAL Magazine. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  20. ↑ Arango, Jorge S. (1 July 2008). "Home: Taking It Outside". RobbReport. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  21. 1 2 3 4 Krücken, Stephan (20 July 2005). "Das Bobby-Prinzip" [The Bobby Principle] (in German). Der Taggesspiegel. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  22. ↑ Esguerra, Melo (9 May 2012). "A Journey to Paradise". zee Lifestyle. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  23. ↑ Litz, Christian (June 2005). "Die Firma Die Familie Das Leben" [The Company as Loving Family] (in German). brand eins. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  24. ↑ Litz, Christian (1 April 2006). "Sessel für Ballack" [Chairs for Ballack] (in German). Die Zeit. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  25. ↑ "DEDON: Das Familien-Unternehmen" [DEDON: The Family Enterprise] (in German). IHK Lüneburg-Wolfsburg. 2011. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  26. ↑ "Social Responsibility". Dedon.de. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  27. ↑ "Dekeyser kauft Dedon zurück" [Dekeyser buys Dedon back] (in German). JUVE. 29 September 2009. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  28. 1 2 3 Broekman, Ralf F.; Hallerbach, Leif (March 2010). "Bobby Dekeyser: Geschichten Erzählen" [Bobby Dekeyser: Telling his Story] (in German). build. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  29. 1 2 3 Ashlock, Jesse (June 2010). "Bringing Outdoor Sexy Back". Interview. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  30. ↑ Ehiert, Matthias (May 2010). "Camp DEDON". Architectural Digest.
  31. ↑ Weiner, Elizabeth (24 June 2010). "Coming Home". Whitewall Magazine. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  32. ↑ Argyriades, Marcia (14 June 2010). "Coming Home: Bruce Weber for DEDON". Yatzer. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  33. 1 2 Marashian, Alex (16 February 2010). "What is the DEDON Tour du Monde?". DEDON: Blogazine. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  34. ↑ "Dem Wohlgefühl verflechtet" [Interweaving Well-being]. ICON. September 2010. pp. 52–53.
  35. ↑ Marashian, Alex (31 August 2010). "EDON Tour du Monde: A Never Ending Story". DEDON: Blogazine. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  36. ↑ "Collections: Philippe Starck — Play With DEDON". DEDON: Blogazine. 14 April 2010. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  37. ↑ "DEDON x Starck". Via Com It. 29 April 2010. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  38. ↑ DEDON: Play by Philippe Starck interview. 9 November 2011. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  39. ↑ DALA — The Mission. 17 April 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  40. ↑ "DEDON Designers — Design Talk: Jean-Marie Massaud". DEDON: Blogazine. 11 February 2010. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  41. ↑ "Dwell Magazine". DEDON. April 2011. p. 129.
  42. ↑ Chaplin, Julia (14 December 2010). "SoHo — Here We Come!". DEDON: Blogazine. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  43. ↑ Suqi, Rima (24 November 2010). "In SoHo, a New Outpost for High-Style Outdoor Furniture". The New York Times. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  44. ↑ Coplin, Kira (2 June 2012). "Design Buzz: Hanging Out with DEDON's Killer Outdoor Collection". California Home + Design. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  45. ↑ Djerlal, Sophie (May 2012). "Dream makers in paradise". VOGUE Italia. p. 78. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  46. ↑ "Our Mission". Dekeyser&Friends Foundation. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  47. ↑ "Inspire the next generation – become a D&F Friend!". D&F Academy. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  48. 1 2 "What We Do". Dekeyser&Friends Foundation. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  49. 1 2 "About Us". D&F Academy. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  50. ↑ "The DO School - History". Retrieved 4 December 2013.
  51. ↑ "What We Do - Philantrpoy". Dekeyser&Friends Foundation. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  52. ↑ "Weaving training for scavengers held". The Philippine Daily Inquirer. 6 March 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2012.
  53. ↑ King, Larry (30 September 2013). "Gina Gershon". Larry King Now. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
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