The Managing Director of the German kitchen association has been vital to the growth of the NKBA’s Global Connect program.

By Dianne M. Pogoda 

The Chairman’s Award was created in 2009 to recognize individuals and companies that the Board Chair deems to have had a significant positive impact on the association and its goals. One of the National Kitchen & Bath Association’s main initiatives is to foster harmonious relationships across all facets of the kitchen, bath, interior design, and remodeling industry. The 2022 recipient of the NKBA’s prestigious Chairman’s Award is an executive who shares this core value, supporting NKBA’s Global Connect initiative from the start: Volker Irle, Managing Director of AMK, the German Association of the Modern Kitchen.

NKBA’s 2022 Chair, Basil E. Larkin, honored Irle last night in Las Vegas at the NKBA Kitchen & Bath Design + Industry Awards, held in the Encore Ballroom at the Encore Hotel in Las Vegas aKBIS 2023 in Las Vegas.

Larkin praised Irle for his tremendous contribution to NKBA’s Global Connect program, “Tonight’s honoree is an individual who has supported NKBA’s new Global Connect initiative from the start,” continuing that he has been a “strong and vocal advocate” for the program. 

A Worldwide Scope

Irle has been an avid supporter of Global Connect since its inception in 2017. His commitment helped pave the way for the program’s first meet-up at IMM Cologne in Germany; the first AMK-USA conference, and the first international KBIS delegation tour. He has worked to encourage AMK members to participate in Global Connect’s webinars, conferences, tours, and events.

Like most major industries today, K&B design and remodeling is global. Manufacturers, designers, sales professionals, and suppliers scour the world for new products, resources, and technologies to keep our interior environments safe, efficient, and looking beautiful. Irle has been an enthusiastic and vocal advocate of Global Connect in its drive to bring together the world’s leading manufacturers on one of the largest stages across the entire international industry: KBIS. He has contributed to the success of the German and International pavilions at KBIS, and his passion for the business has cultivated an exchange of ideas and innovations around the world.

Join Global Connect 

For more about the Global Connect program and how to join this valuable community, click here.

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