About Haniel
Franz Haniel & Cie. GmbH manages a portfolio of independent companies with the goal to create value for generations as Europe's leading purpose-driven investor. To this end, Haniel aligns its portfolio strictly "enkelfähig,” that means: along clear sustainability and performance criteria.
The companies are managed based on a common operating system – the Haniel Operating Way (HOW) – and share a performance-oriented culture.
Currently, the Haniel portfolio comprises ten investments: BauWatch, BekaertDeslee, CWS Cleanrooms, CWS Fire Safety, CWS Hygiene, CWS Workwear, Emma – The Sleep Company, das kinderzimmer, ROVEMA and TAKKT. In addition, Haniel manages financial stakes in CECONOMY and Optimar and minority stakes in high-growth start-ups. With a focus on business services as well as cleantech solutions, we invest in market-leading established and emerging companies.
In 2022, the Haniel Group employed 21,500 people and generated sales of EUR 4.2 billion. The company is 100 percent family-owned and has been based in Duisburg since its foundation in 1756.


Corporate Governance
Stable community of values
One feature distinguishes Haniel from other family-owned companies: since the beginning of the 20th century, corporate management has been entrusted to external managers. No family member works in the Group. Entrepreneurial decisions can thus be taken without regard to family commitments in order to achieve optimal business results.
The family members only pass on Haniel shares to each other. This means that selling to people outside the business is not possible. The more than 750 shareholders are organized in the Shareholders’ Meeting. It convenes once a year and elects the Family Advisory Board - the link between the family and the company - from its members for periods of five years. The Advisory Board comprises up to 30 family members, from which four family members are elected to the Supervisory Board by the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting. In addition, the Annual Shareholders’ Meeting elects 2 non-family members to the Supervisory Board, who form the group of shareholder representatives in the Supervisory Board along with the family members. Here, they co-determine the principles of the business policy and influence the corporate strategy. The chairmanship of the Supervisory Board, who form the group of shareholder representatives in the Supervisory Board along with the family members. Here, they co-determine the principles of the business policy and influence the corporate strategy. Shareholder and employee representatives are equally represented in this co-determined monitoring body and together they appoint and dismiss members of the Management Board, monitor their work and support them in an advisory capacity. Four members of the Supervisory Board form the Audit Committee, which also features equal representation. This monitors the accounting process and the effectiveness of the internal control system, the risk management system, the internal audit function and the compliance management system. Moreover, the committee examines and confirms the impartiality of the auditors of the financial statements.




Haniel Leadership Team
Extended management
At Haniel, decisions are made by a diverse Leadership Team. In addition to the Executive Board, the Investment Committee consists of three Investment Partners and our Chief People and Strategy Officer. The members of the Investment Committee bring different personal strengths, perspectives and professional experiences to the table - the best prerequisites for making the right decisions on our enkelfähig journey.
Team
Management Team

Thomas Schmidt
CEO
has been CEO of Haniel since July 2019. He was appointed to the Management Board in 2017 and was also CEO of Haniel's portfolio company CWS until mid-2019. The engineering graduate began his career in 1996 with various positions at the US group General Electric (GE). Schmidt subsequently moved to TE Connectivity in mid-2008 and became President of TE Industrial in July 2010. Thomas Schmidt is Chairman of the Supervisory Board of TAKKT AG, member of the advisory board of the non-profit organization ForTomorrow and volunteers on the board of the AllBright Foundation.

Dr. Florian Funck
CFO
has been CFO of Haniel since September 2011. Florian Funck, who holds a PhD in business administration, began his career at the Haniel Holding Company in 1999. In June 2004, he was appointed to the TAKKT Managing Board in Stuttgart, where he was responsible for Controlling and Finance. Florian Funck is a member of the Supervisory Boards of CECONOMY AG, TAKKT AG and Vonovia SE.

Marion Oswald
Investment Partner
has been an Investment Partner and member of the Investment Committee of Haniel since June 2020. She leads the Investment Team together with Thessa von Hülsen and is responsible for portfolio management. After completing a banking apprenticeship and studying economics, Marion Oswald began her career at private equity investor Advent International in 1999. In 2016, she moved to The Cranemere Group, an Anglo-Saxon investment holding company with a long-term focus, for which she last served as managing director until joining Haniel.

Dr. Katharina Peterwerth
Chief People & Strategy Officer
has been Chief People & Strategy Officer and a member of the Investment Committee of Haniel since April 2022. After studying electrical engineering and information technology at the Technical University of Munich and completing an industrial doctorate at Volkswagen, Katharina Peterwerth joined McKinsey in 2008 – focusing on strategy consulting, organizational development and product development. At the end of 2018, she returned to Wolfsburg, where she headed organizational development for the VW Group for almost four years. Katharina Peterwerth is a mother of three and is, among other things, involved in the mentoring program of the TU Munich by alumni for students.

Thessa von Hülsen
Investment Partner
has been Investment Partner and a member of the Investment Committee of Haniel since March 2022. She leads the Investment Team together with Marion Oswald and is responsible for portfolio management. Thessa von Hülsen, who graduated in economics, previously was Head of HR Strategy at Deutsche Börse Group and, directly before joining Haniel, led the planned IPO of a private equity held company in Munich. From 2010 to 2017, she worked for UniCredit Bank AG, last heading the corporate banking executive staff. Prior to her career in banking, Thessa spent over eight years in private equity at Silverfleet Capital, a London-based mid-cap fund. She specialized in automotive suppliers, building on 4,5 years of experience in strategy consulting.
Supervisory Board
Strong partners at the top
The Supervisory Board monitors the work of the Management Board and supports it in an advisory capacity. Both boards must agree on important strategic decisions. In this process, the Supervisory Board pays particular attention to ensuring that the Group develops in harmony with its traditional values. The Supervisory Board at Haniel is composed of six shareholder representatives and six employee representatives.


Maintain flexibility
Sound financing
The Haniel Holding uses both equity and debt to finance its investments in the portfolio companies. Equity is derived from Haniel’s more than 750 shareholders, for whom sustainability and long-term thinking are important principles. The dividend policy is measured according to the company's performance and the value of the portfolio.
We place particular emphasis on commercially sound financing when striving to meet our company goals. To ensure the liquidity of the Holding Company and create scope for strategic sustainable investment, we believe in long-term, stable and balanced financing. Cooperation with around 30 banks forms an important pillar of our external financing. The Holding Company has built up a reliable partnership with these banks and has arranged bilateral lines of credit with term of up to 5 years. The company has also expanded its borrowings on the capital market to form the second pillar of its balanced and long-term financing strategy. The bilateral lines of credit and external financing on the capital market both serve to ensure constantly the liquidity of the Holding Company. So that the company remains able to operate at all times, we pay particularly close attention to ensuring we have sufficient credit lines and a balanced maturity profile. This ensures we are always able to refinance our financial resources. Our financing agreements contain neither financial covenants nor ratings-related termination rights.
2022
Consolidated financial statements
Despite the decidedly volatile and challenging macroeconomic environment, Haniel looks back on a successful financial year 2022. Moreover, Haniel achieved several milestones on its way to becoming Europe's leading purpose-driven investor. In addition to expanding the direct investments in clean-tech start-ups and venture capital funds with a sustainability focus, Haniel primarily strengthened the business of portfolio companies through acquisitions. In terms of leadership, Haniel has achieved success in implementing its value creation targets: In addition to the good development of the financial performance indicators, the company achieved continuously rising revenue from enkelfähig solutions: The share of Group revenue increased to 18.5 percent in 2022. In addition, Haniel has driven the development of a performance-oriented, entrepreneurial, and diverse culture – visible, among other things, in the increase in the proportion of women in the Haniel management team to 50 percent.







