20 Years of Starline with Raphael

Some careers are carefully planned. Others simply unfold—albeit with remarkable consistency. In Raphael Leyrer’s case, both seem to apply. This September, Raphael will celebrate his 20th anniversary with Starline. And when you look back on his journey so far, it quickly becomes clear: the former apprentice has long since become a key figure and one of the company’s leading minds.

In 2006, Raphael began his career at Starline with an apprenticeship as a wholesale and foreign trade clerk. As is customary at Starline, he gained experience in all of the company’s departments. After a brief mandatory break for basic military service—which was still required at the time—during which he served as Private First Class Leyrer, he purposefully continued his career in purchasing, including temporary assignments in customer service.

But Raphael was clearly not content with what he had achieved. He went on to complete a two-year continuing education program to become a certified business administrator, which—impressively—he did while working full-time, attending evening classes. And because there was apparently still room for growth, he also embarked on a bachelor’s degree in business administration at the University of Applied Sciences for Economics and the Environment in Nürtingen. Just as he had during his apprenticeship, he excelled there as well, earning excellent grades.

At the same time, however, his studies were by no means Raphael’s only occupation. In his day-to-day work, he served as a product manager and also took on important responsibilities for Starline. These included, among other things, processing payments and dollar purchases. As if that weren’t enough, he was most recently also the designated point of contact for the auditor during the preparation of the annual financial statements.

A lot had happened in his personal life as well. Over time, the young Starliner had become a family man: he had since married and become a father. As a result, his sphere of responsibility had expanded dramatically beyond the boundaries of the company in one fell swoop.

But that wasn’t the end of it, because Raphael was eventually granted power of attorney and promoted to the executive board. Today, he runs Starline’s operations alongside Dr. Tim Ganser, bringing with him something you can’t learn from textbooks: 20 years of experience at the company and a pretty comprehensive understanding of how Starline works.

Raphael doesn’t just know the products and the industry; he also knows the people, the processes, and the stories behind the company. This combination of expertise, experience, and an impressive grasp of the big picture makes him a go-to person who is familiar with an astonishing number of processes within the company—and often even knows exactly why something was done a certain way at some point in the past.

As managing director, Raphael is anything but a distant boss. He is approachable, eloquent, and always ready with a witty remark. His sense of humor is just as much a part of his leadership style as his ability to quickly grasp even complex issues and explain them clearly and concisely. This makes him a pleasant supervisor who is equally appreciated and respected by his colleagues.

For Raphael, 20 years at Starline means far more than just a milestone anniversary. It’s the story of an extraordinary journey: from apprentice to purchasing and product management, all the way to the executive suite.

All the best for your future, dear Raphael—we look forward to writing the next chapters of Starline’s history together with you.