The relationship between Susanne Klatten (60) and SGL Carbon was always something personal. Since the bmw-heiress bought the first shares in the technology group in 2009, it was something special in her portfolio. Klatten has even led the supervisory board since 2013, something that had never happened before with a member of the Quandt family, and they kept a low profile. But Klatten wanted to create, to prove herself as an entrepreneur – not just to be the heir to one of the greatest fortunes in the republic.
“In the beginning, I was extremely nervous before every Supervisory Board meeting and Annual General Meeting. That was new territory for me, I didn’t know if I could handle it,” she once told manager magazin in one of her rare interviews about the importance of SGL in their lives. “For me it was something like a thesis. I also wanted to prove something to myself.”
Now, after investing a lot of energy and capital, Klatten wants to retire. At the end of the next general meeting on May 9, 2023, the company and Klatten announced that she would step down as chair of the supervisory board. This is the end of an era for her personally – for personal reasons.
“My entrepreneurial and social commitments have multiplied in recent years,” explained Klatten. “I would like to continue to take new steps and expand existing companies in the future. These personal goals collide with the time-consuming task of chairing the Supervisory Board of SGL Carbon.”
As descendants of the BMW dynasty, Klatten and her brother Stefan Quandt (56) are among the richest Germans. The manager magazin listed them in the Richest List 2022
with an estimated fortune of more than 33 billion euros in third place. They control around 47 percent of the carmaker, but hold beyond that other holdings in corporations
. For example, Klatten holds shares in SGL Carbon through her holding company Skion, of which she is also the managing director. It directly holds around 28.5 percent of the shares, making it the largest shareholder. The car company BMW holds another 18.4 percent, which is why Klatten plays a dominant role in the company.
Klatten announced that her participation in SGL Carbon was not affected by her withdrawal from the Supervisory Board. As the largest shareholder, she will remain associated with the company. She also wants to find a suitable successor to take her place on the Supervisory Board.
SGL Carbon has seen turbulent times. After difficult years, the company had initially recovered. In 2019, even before the Corona crisis, it slipped into the red. Klatten’s life’s work seemed in danger for a moment
. Recently, however, business had stabilized again. In the first nine months of the current fiscal year, the group turned over 854 million euros, an increase of 14 percent compared to the same period last year. The operating margin (Ebitda) was 15.9 percent, the bottom line was a net profit of around 71 million euros.
“It’s a good time for a change,” said Klatten. “SGL Carbon successfully completed its transformation program at the end of 2022.” Despite the pandemic and the energy crisis, earnings and profitability could have increased significantly in the past two years. With the carbon and graphite products, which could be used both in the renewable energy segment and in automotive technology, SGL Carbon would be able to serve high-growth markets. “So the company is very well positioned for the future.”
The investor also sits on the supervisory boards of BMW and the chemical company Altana, which has also been part of the Quandt family’s sphere of influence for decades and is now 100 percent controlled by Klatten. She is also a member of the supervisory board of the federal agency for disruptive innovations Federal government funding technological breakthroughs
want. And Klatten has been involved with UnternehmerTUM, the start-up center of the Technical University of Munich, which also promotes start-ups, for years.
Now she wants to focus on new investments. With her investment company Skion, she is constantly on the lookout. Your interest: medium-sized companies with sales of 300 million to 2.5 billion euros, with clear competitive advantages, experienced management and a corporate culture of integrity.
You should be able to find something there. But she will probably never play a role that is as important to her personally as at SGL Carbon.