Former OBI Group CEO and EDRA/GHIN President, Sergio Giroldi, will receive the Global
DIY-Lifetime Award 2023 at the 9th Global DIY-Summit in Berlin, Germany, with the prize giving
ceremony taking place during the Gala Evening on the 15th of June.
Sergio Giroldi, who first joined OBI in 1998 as Managing Director of OBI Italy, retired from his
position as Group CEO of OBI in September last year. He had held the position of Group CEO
for almost 20 years and was elected President of EDRA/GHIN in 2017, holding the position
for the full two terms prior to his retirement.
Upon the announcement of his retirement by Christian Haub, Chairman of the Supervisory Board
and CEO of Tengelmann, OBI ’s majority shareholder, said "During his tenure di lui, he made OBI
one of the most successful European DIY stores and the undisputed market leader in
Germany and all Central European countries.”
EDRA/GHIN General Secretary, John W. Herbert, highlighted “Sergio gave me much support
during his tenure di lui as President of EDRA / GHIN, and particularly in the Covid times when he
was always present on our webinars. What I most respect about Sergio was his clarity
leadership and the high level of trust we shared.”
Reinhard Wolff, President of HIMA, shared "In his role di lui as President of EDRA / GHIN, Sergio
has significantly promoted the improvement of the cooperation between the EDRA/GHIN and
HIMA associations. On this basis, the challenges of the Corona Pandemic could be tackled
together. I have always found Sergio to be a committed, trustworthy partner.”
The decision to welcome the annual Global DIY-Lifetime Award to Sergio Giroldi was made
and confirmed by the boards of the European DIY Retail Association (EDRA), the Home
Improvement Manufacturers Association (HIMA) and the Global Home Improvement Network
(GHIN).