NOVIA Baumanagement GmbH from Düsseldorf is undergoing a planned handover in its operational management. Thomas Becker, who has helped shape the company for eight years and looks back on a 39-year career in construction management, will step down from his current management position by the end of 2026. Until then, he will operate alongside Lars Tillack and Melanie Kunze in a three-person leadership team.
The succession plan also includes corporate law aspects, with Lars Tillack, the managing partner and founder of NOVIA, acquiring Thomas Becker's shares. Despite his departure from operational management, Mr Becker will continue to serve the company as a consultant. Lars Tillack emphasised that they did not want to forego Thomas Becker's long-standing expertise; he had significantly shaped NOVIA's development, both professionally and entrepreneurially.
Melanie Kunze moves into leadership
As of 1st July 2026, Melanie Kunze, a qualified engineer, will officially join the management board. She has been with NOVIA for seven years, a member of the extended management board for three years, and currently serves as an authorised signatory and Senior Construction and Project Manager for the company. She is prospectively slated to join the executive management, where she will take over the areas previously managed by Thomas Becker. These particularly include the tendering, awarding, and cost control of projects.
Thomas Becker highlighted the almost identical working style of his successor and emphasised that this was more a question of mindset than age. Melanie Kunze already manages similar areas of responsibility to Mr Becker, which ensures continuity within the company while also enabling new impetus. She sees significant opportunities in the coming years, particularly through municipal infrastructure programmes and the ongoing demand for new builds, as well as necessary renovations, which open up promising prospects for the industry.
Melanie Kunze expressed her gratitude to Lars Tillack and Thomas Becker for their trust and her anticipation of the new leadership role. She underscored the combination of high professional quality and a strong team spirit at NOVIA, as well as the readiness for continuous development. Lars Tillack also reaffirmed the goal of establishing NOVIA as a company that intelligently combines experience with new perspectives, with the current transition being viewed as a consciously designed step in this direction.
