People

In a communiqué of September 19, Aurubis announced that Peter Willbrandt does not intend to renew his contract when it expires at the end of March 2015. The Hamburg-based copper specialist stated that the CEO, who has been in office since 2012, is resigning for personal reasons. The Supervisory Board began the search for a replacement immediately, but in the event of no suitable candidate being appointed, Supervisory Board member Bernd Drouven could resume the functions of CEO for no more than one year.

The MERCK board of partners has appointed Stefan Oschmann its vice-chairman. As of January 1, the 57-year-old will act in place and on behalf of Karl-Ludwig Kley who intends to keep a firm hand on the helm of the pharmaceutical and chemical group for the full duration of his contract that expires in 2016, and then to join the Supervisory Board. Belén Garijo will take the place of Oschmann in the board of directors as head of the pharmaceutical business.

Media is adding new members to its management board: Gunnar Wiedenfels and Ralf Schremper will join it as of 1 January 2015. Axel Salzmann is resigning from the company “for his own reasons”, and will be replaced by Wiedenfels who will thus join the uppermost management echelon. Wiedenfels, whose previous position was CFO of a German television station has worked alongside Salzmann since last March. Salzmann has been CFO of ProSiebenSat.1 Media since 2008, and he took on the role of CEO ad interim from January to March. On September 10, the group, by now heavily in debt announced that the new board member with responsibility for “Corporate Strategy and Investments” would be Schremper who, until 2009, had been with Bertelsmann. ProSiebenSat.1 has done away with the position of “Head of Human Resources” created two years ago. Heidi Stopper will thus quit the company and intends launching a career as Coach and HR consultant. Stopper joined the company on October 1, 2012 and was the first woman on the group’s boardroom.

Rolf Elgeti is leaving TAG Immobilien at the end of October. On September 11, the Hamburg-based real-estate company announced that the Supervisory Board accepted CEO Elgeti’s decision to seek pastures new. The communiqué also mentioned that the 38-year-old analyst sees his mission as having reached completion. At the next opportunity, Elgeti would like to join the group’s Supervisory Board.

Changes are underway in the United Internet boardroom. On September 24, the internet group’s Supervisory Board summoned Jan Oetjen and Martin Witt to join the management board that up to then had been composed of three people. From October, Otjen will take charge of the portal and online advertising business and Witt will lead the internet access sector. Witt has been on the management board of 1&1 Telecommunication AG since April 1, 2014. These appointments bring the number of board members to five – in addition to company founder and CEO Ralph Dommermuth, CFO Norbert Lang and the head of business applications Robert Hoffman. The new arrivals bring added value to the areas of business they will lead, which are fundamental to the new strategy of growth.

Capital Stage: New brooms

Capital Stage, the SDax-listed company that manages solar and wind farms is preparing for staff changes in its financial management. Citing personal reasons, and in agreement with the company, former CFO Zolan Bognar has announced his intention to resign by the end of September.

From October onwards the position of CFO will be filled by Christoph Husmann, who, together with Felix Goedhart will comprise the management board. According to Capital Stage, Husmann has held executive posts involving international dealings in group controlling companies for almost twenty years. He became head of finance at Hochtief Projektentwicklung in 2009 and later became its CEO.

Convisual: new ideas new people

Entry Standard-listed Convisual AG specialised in mobile business solutions is turning its gaze inwards to its own long-term company strategy and has already announced a number of changes in the Supervisory Board. After three years of presidency Franziska Oelte is passing the tiller over to Achim Plate and is, herself, moving to the vice presidency.

As a move towards creating new business areas, the Supervisory Board has appointed Ulrich Trinkaus to the management board with responsibility for creating the new area of consultancy. Furthermore, the company is intending to increase the management board by one – so far the company has not published any names.

At the same time, Convisual is engaged in the take-over of a software house and in an increase of capital to fund the acquisition and creation of the consultancy business.

Heliocentris: Coming and Going

Thomas Strobl has resigned the mandate he received in March as CFO of Heliocentris Energy Solutions AG as well as to other positions he held in its subsidiary companies. Strobl’s decision to quit the Entry Standard-listed technological specialist in energy efficiency in early September with immediate effect was taken for personal reasons and in agreement with the company. There is no news of any replacement as head of finance.

The board of management is comprised of CEO Ayad Abul-Ella and CTO Henrik Colell. Strobl had been called little under six months ago to replace outgoing CFO Andras Gosztonyi whose 5-year mandate contract had reached its natural expiry date. Before joining Heliocentris, Strobl had been head of Wabco’s Vehicle Control Systems financial department.