Board of Directors
Rolf Eckrodt, German, born 1942 in Gronau, North Rhine-Westphalia, is married with two sons and a daughter. He graduated in 1966 with a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering and has more than 40 years experience in the transport and automotive industry. Rolf Eckrodt has held positions as President and CEO of Mitsubishi Motors Corporation in Japan and CEO of Adtranz – DaimlerChrysler Rail Systems GmbH. In addition he acted as President of Mercedes Benz do Brasil, S.A.. Rolf Eckrodt is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of Tognum AG, Friedrichshafen and MTU Friedrichshafen GmbH as well as a Board Member of CNC – Communications & Network Consulting AG, Munich. He also acts as Senior Advisor to the private equity firm EQT Partners, Munich.
Stefan A. Müller, Swiss, born 1954, Board member, has been temporary delegated from the Board of Directors as Chief Financial Officer effective November 1st, 2010 to February 28, 2011. He has held since 1987 several management roles as Chief Executive Officer and as board member in industrial and financial corporations. From January 2004 until July 2010 he was CEO of Dreieck Industrie Leasing later Fortis Lease Switzerland Ltd (BNP Paribas Group), and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Fortis Lease Switzerland Ltd and Fortis Lease Real Estate Switzerland Ltd, Lausanne. Mr. Müller is a member of the board of directors of Leclanché SA, LBG „Les Blanchisseries Générales“, Chailly/Yverdon, Unigamma AG (Asset Management), Aarau and Alma Cura SA, Montagny. He graduated with a MBA from the Hochschule für Wirtschafts-, Rechts- und Sozialwissenschaften of the University of St. Gallen (HSG). He is Swiss, born 1954 in Lima (Peru), married, with two children.
Armin Weiland, German, born 1965, is a founding partner and managing director of GermanCapital GmbH. Armin Weiland is member of GermanCapital’s Investment Committee and has been involved in all of GermanCapital’s Clean Technology investments. Prior to founding GermanCapital he spent several years managing corporate finance activities at HVB Group and M&A activities at HypoVereinsbank. He started his professional career at Deutsche Bank Group. He is a member of the Board of Director of The Energy Holding AG (St. Gallen / Switzerland), EnergyGroup Holding AG (St. Gallen / Switzerland), RES Finco AG (St. Gallen / Switzerland), RES New Co. AG (St. Gallen / Switzerland), and Alno AG (Pfullendorf / Germany). Mr. Weiland holds a degree in Business Administration from the European Business School (EBS), Oestrich-Winkel, Germany, and an MBA from James Madison University (USA).
Dr. Jürgen Diegruber, German, born 1961, has worked in the investment sector since 1995 and is a founding partner and managing director of GermanCapital GmbH since 2005. Jürgen Diegruber is also member of GermanCapital’s Investment Committee. In addition, he is a co-founder of GI Ventures AG, a private equity company whose investments focus on mid-sized enterprises. In addition, he was a founder and member of the management board of an industry-specific holding group (Ahorn-Grieneisen), where he was responsible for buy-outs and acquisitions. Prior to this, he was managing partner of Bossard Consultants in Munich, where his activities focused on restructuring, process optimization via lean production and strategic reorientation. He is a member of the Board of Director of Caldergroup Swiss AG (St. Gallen / Switzerland), Calder Finco UK Ltd. (Chester / United Kingdom), and Alno AG (Pfullendorf / Germany). Dr. Diegruber holds a Degree and Doctorate in Business Administration from the University of St. Gallen.
Antoine Spillmann, Swiss, born 1963 in Bern, is married and has two daughters. Starting his career in London in 1986, Antoine Spillmann has worked at investment banks such as ABN AMRO, Lehman Brothers, SG Warburg and UBS Philips & Drew. In 1996 he founded Bryan Garnier & Co in London and Geneva. Since 2001 he is an executive partner at the firm BRUELLAN Wealth Management, an independent asset management company based in Geneva regulated by the FINMA. Mr. Spillmann serves on boards of Arcelor-Mittal, the world’s largest steel company, BondPartners, a Swiss quoted financial company based in Lausanne and Obrist AG, a Swiss family company based in Basel, leader in the manufacturing of aluminum tubes. Mr Spillmann, was also a vice president of the Swiss Association of asset managers. He studied in Switzerland and London, including at the London Business School.