Matthias Hartmann was appointed CEO of Techem Group in January 2020, and is responsible for leading the Eschborn-based company. Before joining Techem, Hartmann was chair of the management board for IBM Deutschland GmbH and general manager for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Among his previous positions, he served as chair of the management board for GfK SE, a global market research company, where he managed its transformation to a global product and solutions provider with a clear digital focus. He has also held national and international management positions at IBM in Germany and the United States, expanding the company’s global services business for strategy, digital transformation, and business development.
Nicolai Kuß was appointed CSO in March 2019 and is responsible for all activities related to the company’s customers, in particular sales and customer management, as well as the contracting division. Kuß had already served as chief operating officer of Techem since December 2016 and remains responsible for business operations. Before coming to Techem, he joined the management consultancy Ernst & Young in 1999 and gained extensive experience in the real estate industry. He has also served in management roles for Fortress Investment Group, six years as COO for GAGFAH Group, a Luxembourg realty company, and as chief investment officer for Deutsche Immobilien Chancen Group, a German real estate investment company.
Dr. Carsten Sürig was appointed CFO in April 2019, and is responsible for the company’s finances, accounting and taxes, as well as risk and performance management. He also leads the company’s ENERGIZE-T value-creation effort. Before joining Techem, Sürig spent 20 years with McKinsey & Company, a global management consultancy, where he became a senior partner in the company’s Düsseldorf office. There he concentrated on the energy industry and was a member of the leadership group of McKinsey’s European Electric Power & Natural Gas Practice. He holds a PhD in solid state physics from Aachen University in Germany.
The Advisory Board
Andreas Umbach (Independent Member of the Advisory Board), Chairman of the Advisory Board
Andreas Umbach is chair of the Techem Group advisory board and an expert on smart grid and smart metering. Umbach served as president, CEO, and COO of Landis+Gyr Group AG, a Swiss energy meter maker, from 2002 until its IPO in 2017, when he became the non-executive chair of its board of directors. Before joining Landis+Gyr, Umbach led the metering division of Siemens’ Power Transmission and Distribution Group. He has also served as chair of the board of directors of SIG Combibloc Group AG, an Austrian packaging company, and board chair of the privately held company Rovensa SA, a Portuguese sustainable agriculture company.
Umbach holds an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin in the United States and a degree in mechanical engineering from the Technical University of Berlin.
Dr. Eric Strutz (Independent Member of the Advisory Board), Chairman of the Risk & Audit Committee
Dr. Eric Strutz is vice chairman and lead independent director of the board of Partners Group Holding AG and and an advisory board member at Techem, where he chairs the Risk and Audit Committee. He is also an advisory board member to Global Blue, a Swiss tax-free shopping enterprise. Strutz is also a member of the board of directors of HSBC Bank, a UK financial institution, and chairman of the Risk and Audit Committee of HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt AG, a German HSBC subsidiary. Previously, he was chief financial officer and managing board member at Commerzbank AG, a German financial institution, and manager at Boston Consulting Group, a global management consultancy.
Strutz holds a doctorate in business administration from the University of St. Gallen and an MBA from the University of Chicago.
Prof. Dr. Dr. Ann-Kristin Achleitner (Independent Member of the Advisory Board), Chair of the Nomination & Compensation Committee
Prof. Dr. Dr. Ann-Kristin Achleitner was appointed to the advisory board in October 2020 and chairs the Nomination and Compensation Committee. A former management consultant, she is an active venture capitalist and has many years of experience on advisory bodies and supervisory boards for German and international companies, including the French energy company Engie SA. She serves on the supervisory boards of Linde, a German chemicals company and Deutsche Post AG and sits on the advisory board of Investcorp, a Bahraini fund manager.
An economist, Achleitner earned her doctorate at the University of St. Gallen, where she was chair of entrepreneurial finance from 2001 to 2020. She is also a distinguished affiliated professor at the Technical University of Munich.
Michael Barben (Independent Member of the Advisory Board)
Michael Barben supports the development of portfolio companies for the Partners Group private infrastructure business and is a member of the board of directors and supervisory board of Fermaca, a Mexican energy infrastructure company, and VSB Holding, a German renewable energy company, as well as being an advisory board member at Techem. He specializes in energy contracting and decentralized supply solutions. He has served in various roles at Partners Group since 2000, most recently as co-head of the Private Infrastructure Business Department and chairman of the Private Infrastructure Investment Committee. He has 27 years of industry experience and has worked for Zurmont Management, a Swiss asset manager, and SBC Warburg, a Swiss global investment bank, among others.
Barben holds a master’s degree in economics from the University of St. Gallen, is a CFA charterholder and a certified Swiss equity trader and holds the title of financial risk manager.
Lukas Bucher (Member of the Advisory Board – Partners Group)
Lukas Bucher joined Partner’s Group in 2008 and is a member of its European Private Equity Services Business Unit. He was named to the Techem advisory board in 2018. He also represents Partners Group on the boards of Foncia, a French real estate services company; International Schools Partnership, a UK private education company; and Key Group, a UK business and financial services company. Before joining Partners Group, Bucher worked at Boston Consulting Group.
Bucher holds an MBA from INSEAD in Paris and a master’s degree in industrial engineering from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich.
Kim Nguyen (Member of the Advisory Board – Partners Group)
Kim Nguyen is a Partner at Partners Group and heads the Private Equity Services Business. He is a member of the Advisory Boards of Techem, the IT services company Version 1, the real estate services provider Emeria and the toy manufacturer Schleich. Prior to joining Partners Group, he worked for Bridgepoint, Bain and Nestlé. He holds a Master's degree in Business and Production Science from ETH Zurich and an MBA from IMD.
Andreas Holzmüller (Member of the Advisory Board – Partners Group)
Andreas Holzmüller joined Partner Group in 2008 and is managing director of Partners Group (EU) GmbH. Along with sitting on the Techem advisory board, he is a member of the advisory board at Schleich, a German toy manufacturer, and served on the advisory board of Foncia, a French real estate services company, from 2016 to 2019. Before joining Partners Group, he worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Holzmüller holds a master’s degree in finance and accounting from the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland.
Albrecht von Alvensleben (Member of the Advisory Board – CDPQ)
Albrecht von Alvensleben joined Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), a Canadian institutional investor, in London in 2017 and is its managing director. He leads the company’s private equity activities in Europe. He has more than 15 years’ experience in majority and minority investments in private and listed companies. Before joining CDPQ, he worked at Wendel, a long-term investment holding company in Paris, and Lehman Brothers, a US investment bank.
Von Alvensleben holds an MBA from INSEAD in Paris and a master’s degree in management from the ESCP-EAP European School of Management.
Iñaki Echave (Member of the Advisory Board – OTPP)
Iñaki Echave co-leads the EMEA Private Capital team of Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP), a Canadian institutional investor. Iñaki is a seasoned investor with over 20 years of international experience and a specific focus in the technology and financial sectors. He has held several senior positions in private equity, as Managing Director of Blackstone Private Equity in London, Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) Direct Investments in Europe and Director of BHL (UK) Holdings. Previously, Iñaki was a partner at Magnum Capital and Ventura EP and has worked for 3i, JP Morgan Partners and Bain & Co.
Iñaki has an MBA from INSEAD in France and a double degree in business and law from ICADE in Spain.