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Agrana CEO Johann Marihart will retire in May after almost 30 years in office. On Friday, Markus Mühleisen, a coach from Düsseldorf, was named his successor.
The supervisory board appointed Markus Mühleisen, 54, on Friday, June 1, as CEO of Agrana Beteiligungs-AG for three years. Marihart will retire on May 31. He worked in this role for almost three decades.
“Sales increased sevenfold in the Marihart era”
“The successful development of Agrana is closely related to Johann Marihart,” said Supervisory Board Chairman Erwin Hameseder. “Under his leadership, Agrana became an internationally successful industrial company. Sales increased sevenfold in the Marihart era. In addition to the successful expansion in Europe, the development of the fruit business field to the core merits of Johann Marihart “.
After completing his degree in technical chemistry in Vienna, Johann Marihart started his professional career in 1975 at the Leopoldsdorf sugar factory. In 1976 he moved to the Gmünd potato starch factory from what was then Österreichische Agrar-Industrie GmbH. In the course of the merger of Österreichische Agrar-Industrie GmbH with the restructured sugar industry, Marihart became a member of the founding board of Agrana Beteiligungs-AG in 1988.
Milestones: Expansion and IPO
As its CEO, he was instrumental in shaping Agrana from 1991: from the expansion of the initially national sugar and starch producer following the opening of the borders to Central and Eastern Europe in 1990, the IPO in 1991, to the diversification with bioethanol and wheat starch as well as in the fruit sector.
Mühleisen has been active in the food industry for 20 years
His successor, Markus Mühleisen, will be responsible, among other things, for communication, strategy, human resources and economic policy. For Erwin Hameseder, Chairman of the Supervisory Board, who led the selection process, he has the best prerequisites for managing the Agrana Group: “He was successful in various management positions and has extensive international experience in the food and beverage industry.”
Mühleisen has been active in the food and luxury food sector for more than 20 years, for example at Nestlé, General Mills and, since 2018, with the international dairy group Arla Foods. According to one broadcast, he has extensive experience in international management, particularly in the areas of marketing and strategy. “The Agrana Group is a strong, innovative and well-positioned company with a lot of potential,” said the future CEO.
