Klaus-Michael Kühne: ein Patriarch alter Schule mit harter Hand und unternehmerischem Instinkt
Klaus-Michael Kühne hat Kühne + Nagel zum Weltkonzern und sich selbst zum Milliardär gemacht. Obwohl seit Jahrzehnten in der Schweiz wohnhaft, blieb er seiner Geburtsstadt Hamburg eng verbunden. Nun ist er im Alter von 89 Jahren gestorben.
Klaus-Michael Kühne, a 89-year-old German billionaire and patriarch of the Kühne + Nagel logistics empire, died in Switzerland. Born in Hamburg in 1937, Kühne's family had been in the shipping business since 1890 when his great-grandfather August Kühne and Friedrich Nagel founded a shipping company in Bremen. Kühne joined the family business in 1958 and became a full partner in 1963, later serving as chairman of the management board and president of the supervisory board.
He maintained control of the company through his private holding company, Kühne Holding AG, which is the majority shareholder of Kühne + Nagel International. Kühne was known for his ambition, work ethic, and demanding nature, but also for his sharp wit and disciplinarian approach to management. He kept his family's company in Switzerland, where his father had moved in 1975, despite criticism from some Germans who accused him of tax evasion.
Kühne's foundation, established in 1976, supports logistics research and medical research, cultural and climate research, and has been funded by dividends from the holding company since 1976.
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- Nachruf: Ein Kaufmann alter Schule – Klaus-Michael Kühne ist tot handelsblatt.com
