Heliad: Hans-Jürgen Michel, managing co-partner of the Heliad portfolio company unicorn, dies unexpectedly


Heliad Equity Partners GmbH & Co. KGaA / Miscellaneous
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Heliad was informed yesterday of the sudden and unexpected death of Hans-Jürgen Michel, managing co-partner of unicorn Geld- und Wertdienstleistungen GmbH, in which Heliad holds a 25% interest.
Ralf Flore, CEO of Heliad stated: 'We are deeply saddened by the sudden death of the unicorn partner, Mr. Michel, and would like to express our deepest sympathy to his family and the company. Mr. Michel was an outstanding entrepreneur, and his charisma, commitment and expertise earned him great esteem in the industry. In less than three years, he and the two other managing partners, Niels Faergemann and Franz-Josef Deckers, developed unicorn into Germany's second largest company in the area of cash and valuables transportation. Heliad has lost a highly valued business partner with the death of Mr. Michel.'

In a statement by unicorn, Franz-Josef Deckers stressed that the financial stability, daily operations and future development of the company are not endangered by the death of Mr. Michel.

++ About Hans-Jürgen Michel

Hans-Jürgen Michel began his entrepreneurial career in 1977 with the company GTG Geldtransporte GmbH in Kassel. His great commitment enabled him to develop his company into a market leader in the German cash and valuables transportation market. After many years of successful operation, he sold the company in 2000 and became supervisory board chairman of the newly formed holding company, a subsidiary of an international group. Following the fraud and embezzlement crisis that shook the German cash and valuables market in 2006, Michel decided to return to the cash and valuables logistics market as an entrepreneur. Together with Niels Faergemann and Franz-Josef Deckers, he founded the company unicorn Geld- und Wertdienstleistungen GmbH in 2006, which now has sales in excess of EUR 50 million and around 1,300 employees.

++ About Heliad

Heliad is a publicly listed investment company which invests in high-growth companies in German-speaking countries. Heliad relies in this respect on established, owner-managed business models with sales of between EUR 10 million and EUR 100 million and a focus on service providers ('asset-light' focus). With this investment focus and its buy-and-build strategy, Heliad is positioned in the attractive niche between venture capital and traditional buyouts. With around 4,000 employees, the 13 companies currently in Heliad's portfolio generate combined sales of more than EUR 650 million. Further information about the company can be found at www.heliad.com.

Contact:
Heliad Equity Partners GmbH & Co. KGaA
Thomas Kunder
Chief Financial Officer
Phone: +49 69 71 91 59 65 39
E-Mail: investor-relations@heliad.com


15.07.2009  Financial News transmitted by DGAP

 
Language:     English
Issuer: Heliad Equity Partners GmbH & Co. KGaA               Grüneburgweg 18
              60322 Frankfurt am Main
              Deutschland
Phone:        +49 69 71 91 59 65 0
Fax:          +49 69 71 91 59 65 11
E-mail:       info@heliad.com
Internet:     www.heliad.com
ISIN:         DE000A0L1NN5
WKN:          A0L1NN
Listed: Regulierter Markt in Frankfurt (Prime Standard); Freiverkehr               in Berlin, München, Stuttgart
 
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