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Martin Haefner is a math teacher, heir to the Amag car dealership, and recently an investor. He invested part of his fortune in the ailing steel company Swiss Steel. Many wonder why.
Martin Haefner: The owner and the board of directors of Amag have also secured control of a steel company.
Photo: Gerry Nitsch (13 photos)
Is not a pretentious billionaire like one themselves such a figure introduces. The 66-jbother Martin Haefner he is reserved, almost shy. Too much attention is for him unpleasant. And if it weren’t for the Swiss Steel story, it might never have appeared in public. But for about two years dives sa Name regularly in den media in – and not for his fortune, that he «Balance sheet» in 4 estimates up to 4.5 billion Swiss francs.
Haefner has invested a considerable part of his money in Swiss Steel. Lucerne steel mill is experiencing home problems he got into trouble and needed money badly in the summer of 2019. Haefner had money. I was willing to help the company – provided that he has the floor in the future and can ensure control for himself.
Years before, he had repeatedly bought stocks because he was fascinated by steel. Swiss Steel is one of the last large European steel groups and produces special steel for automobiles, surgical instruments and tools. Haefner sbecame the largest shareholder in several stages.
A detour to the owner of the business.
At Tuesday’s Extraordinary General Meeting, the majority of shareholders approved a capital increase, with which the group can raise around 200 million Swiss francs in fresh funds. After this step should Haefner owns more than 50 percent of the capital.
His path as an investor was not mapped out in any way. Haefner spent decades of his professional life as a gym.northasiallehrer in Baden and Lucerne. The ETH mathematician preferred to introduce teenagers to the art of numbers rather than get involved in the corporate empire of his father Walter Haefner. This one had the Amagazine constructed. The largest car dealer in the country is the general importer of Volkswagen, Audi, Skoda and Seat cars. Martin Haefner wanted nothing to do with it for a long time. He only took over from the age of 40, more out of a sense of duty than conviction, successive responsibility. He gave up business training and a year abroad in America, which his father advised him to do.me is.
Amag’s boss, Walter Haefner. When he died in 2012, he was the oldest billionaire in the world.
Photo: Reuters
When the Amagazine-Patron finally died over a hundred years ago, inherited remer son the company with his sister. Meanwhile has Martin Haefner fromren 50 percent participation bought. Haefner’s fortune doesn’t just come from the auto trade. The father also left the two of them a stake in an American software company, which Haefner later sold. Probably some of this money is now in Swiss Steel.
Not everyone agrees
Haefner isn’t the only one interested in the steel company. Before him there was already the Russian billionaire Oligarch Viktor Vekselberg got engaged. The Russian industrialist has an affinity for the raw materials sector and also lives in Switzerland. As a result, he invested part of his money in Swiss industrial companies, in addition to Swiss Steel, in Sulzer and Oerlikon.
Viktor Vekselberg. A power struggle has developed between him and Haefner over the years. Both participate, directly or indirectly, in Swiss Steel.
Photo: Sergei Fadeichev (TASS)
Haefner’s rise to dominant owner at Swiss Steel was a thorn in the side of the oligarch, who was still under US sanctions. – as well as small shareholders. A collapse broke out between the two fields. Power struggle, which is partly public and partly fought by a legal process becomes. As the «Finanz and Economy »reported the following Tuesday to the Extraordinary General Meeting Vekselbergs Liwet-Participation A business registration padlock filed with the Lucerne Commercial Court. It is not possible to register them in the commercial register until a possible court decision.
It seems Martin Haefner is not the type of trench warfare. As a mathematician, he approaches things seriously and is convinced that one and one two results, and he does not like to be convinced otherwise. You know what you want and who you are.
Who is Martin Haefner today?
Anyone who knows Martin Haefner still has the feeling that he is at least as much a math teacher as the owner of Amag and a shareholder in Swiss Steel. It also fits the picture that you don’t see yourself as a manager or entrepreneur, but “just” as the owner. It has nothing to do with the day-to-day business in your company, you prefer to leave that to others.
But that doesn’t change the fact that he is absolutely convinced that Swiss Steel has a good future. If all goes according to Haefner’s plan, the company could restructure in four to six years. The replacement at the top of the company announced Monday is in full accord with Haefner’s interests. Clemens Iller leaves and Frank Koch will take over Swiss Steel in his place. mens fits the picture Besidesthat the Chairman of the Board of Directors Jens Alder vacated his position on Tuesday. His successor, Heinrich Christen, is a confidant of Haefner.
If the fresh start is successful, Haefner has to give up part of his shared package again. This is what the Swiss Financial Market Authority wants. Then it should also be clear whether the math teacher has miscalculated or if your calculation works – quitemeter Meaning of the Latin abbreviation qed (quod erto rememonthnorthS trandum), with which mathematicians conclude their proofs.
