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.
Team
Investment Team

Marion Oswald
Investment Partner
Vita
Joined in 2020
Previously: The Cranemere Group, Advent International
University of St. Gallen, University of Michigan, HEC Paris

Thessa von Hülsen
Investment Partner
Vita
Joined in 2022
Previously: Deutsche Börse Group, UniCredit Bank AG, Silverfleet Capital
Saarland University

Dr. Florian Jaeger
Senior Business Partner
Vita
Joined in 2023
Previously: Family company, Droege Group
RWTH Aachen, Imperial College London, MIT Sloan

Daniela Kastner
Senior Investment Manager
Vita
Joined in 2021
Previously: Lamont Capital, PwC Strategy&
University of Bayreuth, London School of Economics

Larissa Luchmann
Senior Investment Manager
Vita
Joined in 2022
Previously: Volkswagen Group, Metzler Bank, Aquila Capital
University of Zurich, University of Geneva, Seoul National University

Katharina Rosenbohm
Senior Investment Manager
Vita
Joined in 2022
Previously: Bayer M&A, Deutsche Bank, Leonardo & Co.
HHL Leipzig Graduate School of Management, Trinity College Dublin, Jacobs University Bremen

Michael Olschewski
Investment Manager
Vita
Joined in 2018
University of Cologne, Goethe University Frankfurt, BI Norwegian Business School

Mario Puclin
Investment Manager
Vita
Joined in 2020
Previously: PwC
Esslingen University of Applied Sciences, Nürtingen-Geislingen University of Applied Science

Philipp Schmolke
Investment Manager
Vita
Joined in 2023
Previously: Livingstone Partners, Deloitte
University of Münster, University of Trier, Dublin City University

Julia Wautmann
Investment Manager
Vita
Joined in 2022
Previously: HSBC, NRW.BANK
WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Rotman School of Management, Monash University

Philipp Göhre
Partner Growth Capital
Vita
Joined in 2010
Previously: Ørsted, UBS, Deutsche Bank
WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management

Philipp Krüger
Senior Investment Manager
Vita
Joined in 2021
Previously: HSBC, Macquarie Capital
Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, University of Technology Sydney

Alexander Branding
Investment Manager
Vita
Joined in 2022
Previously: Heal Capital, Société Générale
Louvain School of Management, Nova School of Business and Economics
Team
HOW Team

Dr. Katharina Peterwerth
Chief People & Strategy Officer
Vita
Joined in 2022
Previously: Volkswagen Group, McKinsey & Company
Technical University of Munich

Svenja Otten
Head of Strategy
Vita
Joined in 2023
Previously: Axel Springer SE, Roland Berger, Carl Zeiss AG
HHL-Leipzig Graduate School of Management, University of Victoria, University of Santa Barbara, Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University

Dr. Katharina Peterwerth
Chief People & Strategy Officer
Vita
Joined in 2022
Previously: Volkswagen Group, McKinsey & Company
Technical University of Munich

Axel Berger
Head of Sustainability & Digital
Vita
Joined in 2020
Previously: Saint Gobain, ThyssenKrupp
Technical University of Munich (graduate engineer), Sydney Graduate School of Management (MBA)

Pieter Beelen
Senior Business Partner HOW
Vita
Joined in 2020
Previously: Belden Inc, TE Connectivity, CWS Group
Eindhoven University of Technology

Julia Dudenko
Senior Manager IT Program Governance & Security / CISO
Vita
Joined in 2023
Previously: Deutsche Post AG / DHL Group, Accenture, Deutsche Telekom AG
University of Applied Sciences (FHDW)

Dörthe Heinrigs
Senior Business Partner HOW
Vita
Joined in 2021
Previously: General Electric, Danaher Corporation, Belden, Philips
Henley Business School (MBA)

Ulrike Schlag
Senior Manager Operational Excellence
Vita
Joined in 2022
Previously: E.ON, RWE
University of Münster, University of Brisbane

Christian Rube
Manager Sustainability
Vita
Joined in 2008
Previously: Deutsche Bank
Ruhr University Bochum

Florence Bädeker-Georges
Expert Project Management
Vita
Joined in 2010
Previously: MBN
University of Angers

Dr. Katharina Peterwerth
Chief People & Strategy Officer
Vita
Joined in 2022
Previously: Volkswagen Group, McKinsey & Company
Technical University of Munich

Meike Groters
Head of Talent (Co-Leadership)
Vita
Joined in 2013
Previously: Penning Consulting
Ruhr University Bochum

Stefanie Junghans
Head of Talent (Co-Leadership)
Vita
Joined in 2023
Previously: SAP SE, Erste Group, FDM Group, PwC
University of Kent, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Dr. René Peters
Senior Business Partner Talent
Vita
Joined in 2007
Previously: Research Graduate
University of Trier, Trinity College Dublin

Tim Ulrich
Business Partner Talent
Vita
Joined in 2018
Previously: thyssenkrupp, Gigaset, Lufthansa
Mercator School of Management, University of Erlangen–Nuremberg

Matt Smith
Business Partner Training & Development
Vita
Joined in 2021
Previously: FranklinCovey

Daniel Munsch
Business Partner Training & Development
Vita
Joined in 2013
Previously: FOM University of Applied Sciences for Economics and Management

Sabine Derksen
Expert Project Management
Vita
Joined in 1997
Previously: Phonet Telecom AG, ESO Group, MORA Metrology GmbH
Team
Creditor Relations

Dr. Axel Gros
Head of Finance and Treasury
Vita
Joined in 2002
Previously: EBS University of Business and Law

Caroline Bezwald
Business Partner Financing & Bank Relationship
Vita
Joined in 2022
Previously: Deutsche Bank AG, Spotcap Global Services GmbH, Deutsche Handelsbank AG
Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, ETH Zürich, University of Regensburg