Board of Directors
On May 10, 2011, Karl Gernandt assumed the function of Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Following Klaus-Michael Kuehne’s recommendation to the Board of Directors, Karl Gernandt was elected Chairman. With Gernandt’s appointment Kuehne continues the implementation of his personal succession plan. Already in 2008 Kuehne announced Gernandt as his successor in important functions within his scope of responsibilities to which belong the Kuehne Holding AG, majority shareholder of Kuehne + Nagel International AG, and the Kuehne Foundation.
The Board of Directors named Klaus-Michael Kuehne Honorary Chairman of Kuehne + Nagel International AG. He will remain member of the Board of Directors’ Nomination and Compensation Committee, but handed over the chairman function to Dr. Joerg Wolle.
Dr. Renato Fassbind, a Swiss citizen, was newly elected to the Board of Directors for a one-year term. He brings with him an extensive knowledge of financial management. From 2004 until October 2010, Dr. Fassbind held the position of Chief Financial Officer at Credit Suisse Group AG and Credit Suisse AG. In this function, he had been a member of the Executive Boards of Credit Suisse Group AG and Credit Suisse AG since 2004. Juergen Fitschen, Karl Gernandt, Hans-Joerg Hager, Klaus-Michael Kuehne, Hans Lerch, Dr. Wolfgang Peiner, Dr. Thomas Staehelin, Dr. Joerg Wolle and Bernd Wrede were re-elected to the Board of Directors for one-year terms.
In line with the Best Practice Standards of Corporate Governance, the period of office of board members on re-election is one year.
Members of the Board of Directors
Karl Gernandt, Chairman
German, 1960
After completing his studies in business administration at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, Karl Gernandt worked for Deutsche Bank AG from 1988 to 1995. There he held positions including that of assistant to the Spokesman of the Board of Management and the Chairman of the Supervisory Board, as well as functions in international banking in Germany, Asia and the USA. From 1996 to 1999 he set his mark on the Financial Institution Group of A.T. Kearney GmbH. In 1999 Gernandt moved to Holcim (Deutschland) AG as Chairman of the Board of Management, and was at the same time a member of the European Management Team of Holcim Ltd., Switzerland. In March 2007 he became CEO of Holcim Western Europe, based in Brussels. Since October 1, 2008 Karl Gernandt has been nominated as CEO of Kuehne Holding AG, Schindellegi, and a board member of the Kuehne Foundation. He is also Managing Director of the Klaus-Michael Kuehne Foundation in Hamburg.
Positions held within the Kuehne + Nagel Group:
2008 – today: Member of the Board of Directors, elected until the Annual General Meeting 2012
2008 – 2009: Member of the Economic Council
2009 – 2011: Executive Vice Chairman and Delegate of the Board of Directors
2010 – 2011: Member of the Executive Committee
2011 – today: Chairman of the Board of Directors
2011 – today: Chairman of the Executive Committee
2011 – today: Member of the Audit Committee
2011 – today: Member of the Nomination and Compensation Committee
Bernd Wrede, Vice Chairman
German, 1943
Graduated in business administration from the universities of Würzburg. From 1982 to 2001 member of the Board of Hapag-Lloyd AG, Hamburg, and its Chairman as of 1993. Currently an independent management consultant.
Other significant activities: Member of the Supervisory Board of HSH Nordbank AG, Hamburg, member of the Advisory Board of Citigroup, Frankfurt, and member of the Board of Trustees of the ZEIT Foundation, Hamburg.
Positions held within the Kuehne + Nagel Group
1999 – 2002: Member of the Board of Directors
2002 – today: Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, elected until the Annual General Meeting 2012
2008 – 2009: Member of the Investment Committee, Chairman of the Economic Council
2003 – 2006 / Member of the Audit Committee
2008 – today:
2003 – today: Member of the Nomination and Compensation Committee
2010 – today: Member of the Executive Committee
Klaus-Michael Kuehne , Honorary Chairman
German, 1937
Trained as banker and freight forwarder.
Other significant activities: Member of the Advisory Board of Hapag-Lloyd AG, Hamburg; and of the Landesbeirat Hamburg of Deutsche Bank AG.
Positions held within the Kuehne + Nagel Group:
1958 – 1966: Entrance into the family business followed by various management positions
1966 – 1975: Chief Executive Officer of the Group
1975 – 1992: Delegate and member of the Board of Directors
1992 – 2009: Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors,
Chairman of the Nomination and Compensation Committee
2009 – 2011: Chairman of the Board of Directors
Chairman of the Nominations and Compensation Committee
2010 – 2011: Chairman of the Executive Committee
2011 – today: Member of the Executive Committee
2011 – today: Member of the Nomination and Compensation Committee
2011 – today: Honorary Chairman of the Board of Directors
Dr. Renato Fassbind, Member
Swiss, 1955
He brings with him an extensive knowledge of financial management. From 2004 until October 2010, Dr. Fassbind held the position of Chief Financial Officer at Credit Suisse Group AG and Credit Suisse AG. In this function, he had been a member of the Executive Boards of Credit Suisse Group AG and Credit Suisse AG since 2004.
Positions held within the Kuehne + Nagel Group
2011 – today: Member of the Board of Directors, elected until the Annual General Meeting 2012.
2011 – today: Member of the Audit Comittee
Juergen Fitschen, Member
German, 1948
Trained as wholesale and export trader, then graduated in business administration from Hamburg University. Joined Deutsche Bank AG in 1987 and was promoted to the Group Executive Committee in 2002. He is Global Head of Regional Management and, since 2005, also serves as Chairman of the Management Committee Germany. In these functions Fitschen was appointed to Deutsche Bank Management Board in 2009.
Other significant activities: Member of the Supervisory Board of Metro AG and Schott AG.
Positions held within the Kuehne + Nagel Group
2008 - today: Member of the Board of Directors, elected until the Annual General Meeting 2012
2008 - 2009: Member of the Economic Council
Hans-Joerg Hager, Member
German, 1948
Since 1988 Hager holds a bachelor degree from the Wuerttemberg Administration and Business Academy in Stuttgart and completed successfully in 1998 the TOP International Management Program at INSEAD/ Fontainebleau. Since 2009 Hager is president of the UCS (entrepreneurs-colloquium forwarding). hager had various board positions at Schenker AG from 1996 to 2008. In 2000 he was appointed chairman of Schenker AG, Germany which position he held until 2008. From 2001 to 2004 and from 2006 to 2008 Hager was a memeber of the Management Board of Schenker AG responsible for the Europe region and overland transportation business.
Other significant activities: Since the second semester 2009 hager is lecturer at the university Baden Wuerttemberg/Villingen - Schwenningen in Business Informatics; Additionally since 2010 at the institute for materials handling and logistics at the university of Stuttgart.
Positions held within the Kuehne + Nagel Group
2009 – today: Member of the Board of Directors, elected until the Annual General Meeting 2012
Hans Lerch, Member
Swiss, 1950
Trained in tourism and longtime career at Kuoni Travel Holding Ltd: from 1972–1985 assignments in the Far East, then various responsibilities at the company’s headquarters in Zurich and President and CEO from 1999–2005. Chairman and CEO of SR Technics in Zurich from 2005-2008.
Other significant activities: Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International School of Tourism Management, Zurich; Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of Hotelplan Holding Ltd., Zurich; Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of New Venturetech Ltd., Zurich, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Movemed Foundation, Zurich.
Positions held within the Kuehne + Nagel Group
2005 – today: Member of the Board of Directors, elected until the Annual General Meeting 2012
2006 – today: Member of the Nomination and Compensation Committee
Dr. Wolfgang Peiner, Member
German, 1943
Studied business administration at the Universities of Hamburg and Lawrence, Kansas, USA, and holds a Master in Accounting and Finance. He was member and Chairman of the Management Board of Gothaer Insurance Group from 1984 to 2001 and Head of the Ministry of Finance of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg from 2001 to 2006.
Other significant activities: Since early 2007 Chairman of the Board of Directors of Germanischer Lloyd AG; Since 2009 Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Norddeutscher Rundfunk NDR; Member of the Board of Directors of Maxingvest AG, Member of the Board of Trustees of the Kuehne Foundation and of the Board of Directors of the Kuehne Holding AG, President of the Kuehne Logistics University, Hamburg.
Positions held within the Kuehne + Nagel Group
2000-2001: Member of the Board of Directors
2007-today: Member of the Board of Directors, elected until the Annual General Meeting 2012
Dr. Thomas Staehelin , Member
Swiss, 1947
Holds a PhD in law from the University of Basel; Lawyer.
Other significant activities: Chairman of the Board of Directors of Kuehne Holding AG; Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Audit Committee of Siegfried Holding AG, Zofingen; member of the Board and Chairman of the Audit Committee of Inficon Holding AG, Bad Ragaz; Chairman of the Board of Directors of Swissport International SA, Opfikon, and of Scobag Private Bank AG, Basel; Chairman of the Board of Directors of Lantal Textiles, Langenthal; member of the Board and Committee President of Economiesuisse; President of the Basel Chamber of Commerce; Chairman of Vereinigung der Privaten Aktiengesellschaften; and member of the Swiss Foundation for Accounting and Reporting Recommendations (SWISS GAAP FER).
Positions held within the Kuehne + Nagel Group
1978 – today: Member of the Board of Directors, elected until the Annual General Meeting 2012
2003 – today: Chairman of the Audit Committee
Dr. Joerg Wolle, Member
German/Swiss, 1957
Holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering. Since June 2002 CEO and President of DKSH Group, which resulted from the merger of the asian activities of Diethelm Keller and SiberHegner. Previously he worked since 2000 in the same function at the SiberHegner. From 1991 to 1995 Joerg Wolle worked as director of marketing and sales at SiberHegner in Hong Kong and in 1995 became a member of the management board of SiberHegner in Zurich.
Other significant activities: Honorary Professor for intercultural communication at the University of applied sciences Zwickau. Member of the management board of the German Asia-Pacific Business Association and member of the Board of Directors of the Diethelm Keller Holding.
Positions held within the Kuehne + Nagel Group
2010 – today: Member of the Board of Directors, elected until the Annual General Meeting 2012
2010 – 2011: Member of Nomination and Compensation Committee
2011 – today: Chairman of Nomination and Compensation Committee
