Mario Freis new CEO of OVB Holding AG
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Cologne, 5 February 2016 – Mario Freis (40), formerly Chief Sales Officer (CSO), has been appointed by the Supervisory Board as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the European financial brokerage group with immediate effect.
The former CEO, Michael Rentmeister, resigned his post with immediate effect and is leaving the OVB Group. The departure is by mutual agreement.
“During his four years in office as CEO, he advanced the company markedly. OVB thanks Rentmeister for his services to the company,” says the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of OVB Holding AG, Michael Johnigk.
Freis, who has worked for OVB since 1995, has been a member of the OVB Holding AG Executive Board since January 2010. Initially responsible for sales and product management in the markets outside of Germany, he took responsibility for sales, training and product management throughout Europe in mid-2014. Freis made a significant contribution to the establishment and expansion of the national companies in Europe. In April 2015, he also took operational responsibility for sales in the German market as a member of the OVB Germany Executive Board.
The Supervisory Board has appointed the long-standing Chief Financial Officer, Oskar Heitz (62), as deputy CEO as a further sign of continuity and stability. Among other things, Heitz managed the company’s IPO in mid-2006.
Alongside Freis and Heitz, Thomas Hücker (50) will remain Chief Operations Officer in the company’s new Executive Board. Among other things, Hücker is responsible for the coordination and management of the company’s international IT activities.
Supervisory Board Chairman Michael Johnigk: “I am particularly delighted that OVB has Mario Freis as CEO, because he comes from within its own ranks. The Supervisory Board has chosen an experienced manager who has been at home at OVB for many years.
He has the best possible experience, enabling him to successfully focus and advance OVB in a dynamically changing European market.”
Mario Freis: “I am grateful for the trust placed in me. I will take on the challenges associated with my new role with great care and full commitment.”
About OVB Group
OVB Group, with its holding company headquartered in Cologne, is one of the leading European financial advisory groups. Since its founding in 1970, customer-oriented consulting for private households with regard to asset protection, asset building, pension plans and real estate acquisition has been the focus of OVB’s business activities. OVB currently advises some 3.3 million customers across Europe, working in cooperation with over 100 renowned product partners.
OVB is presently active in 14 countries, with more than 5,000 full-time financial advisors working for the Group. In 2014, OVB Holding AG and its subsidiaries generated total sales commission of €214.0 million and EBIT of €12.3 million. OVB Holding AG has been listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Prime Standard, ISIN DE0006286560) since July 2006.