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This was the first domino: the business and real estate empire of René Benko (46) began to collapse when Signa Sports United (SSU) filed for bankruptcy on 27 October. In December 2021, the online sports retailer went public on the New York Stock Exchange via a SPAC. At its best, it was worth $3.2 billion.
Now research in the Benko environment shows this: Before the IPO, Benko tried to win Franz Julen (65) to the board of directors. The former Intersport boss, Valora chairman and current Aldi adviser would lend credibility to the committee in the retail industry. And it fit Benko’s hunting plan to surround himself with well-known names on the investor side, such as Lindt boss Ernst Tanner, 77, or former Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking, 71.
Therefore, meetings were held with Benko and retail boss Dieter Berninghaus (59). When asked, Julen confirmed the BILANZ research: “There were discussions. But then I canceled based on my instincts,” says Julen. He does not want to comment further.
Julen gave up a lot of money doing this. We hear that he was offered up to two percent of SSU shares as compensation instead of salary. At the end of 2021, their value was 59 million francs. Finally, Mike Özkan from Signa took over the chairmanship without having a significant share. After the bankruptcy, the damage to his image remained with him. Former Roland Berger boss Martin Wittig and former journalist, Axel Springer executive and digital consultant Christoph Keese also sit on the board as chairman of the Audit Committee.
Source :Blick
I’m Tim David and I work as an author for 24 Instant News, covering the Market section. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism, my mission is to provide accurate, timely and insightful news coverage that helps our readers stay informed about the latest trends in the market. My writing style is focused on making complex economic topics easy to understand for everyone.
