Familienunternehmen: Generationswechsel an der Spitze der Brenninkmeijer-Familie

Florian Brenninkmeyer will succeed Martijn Brenninkmeijer as the new president of the Cofra Holding AG's board of directors. Martijn, who has led the group for twelve years, first as CEO and since 2018 as president of the board, is stepping down. The leadership change is set to take effect in April 2027. This shift marks the first time a sixth-generation family member, in this case Florian, will hold a top position in the Cofra Holding AG's board of directors.

The Cofra Holding AG, headquartered in Zug, Switzerland, is the umbrella company of the Brenninkmeijer family. The family gained prominence through the founding of the fashion brand C&A in 1841, named after its founders Clemens and August. Out of about 2000 family members, only 50 to 60 are shareholders, forming the so-called "Sneeker Kring," named after the Dutch hometown Sneek.

Various naming conventions of the surname still exist in the sprawling family. Three investment divisions are expected to grow: Private Equity under Bregal, Real Estate Investments under Redevco, and Asset Management under Anthos Fund & Asset Management. The new leadership is expected to accelerate this trend, according to company circles.

Under the umbrella of Cofra, the family is actively involved in investments, not just its own wealth but those of other family offices, foundations, and large investors. The three investment divisions are expected to grow further under the new leadership. The Dutch investor Boudewijn Beerkens has been operating Cofra since 2019, and he will report to Florian Brenninkmeyer, who took over as the group's financial chief from his brother Martijn.

Industry observers say that such changes in reporting responsibilities have become commonplace for family members and management. Beerkens had previously stated that the managed wealth of the family would double from around 35 to 70 billion euros by 2034, focusing on sustainability. John Singer, a member of the Governance and Nominating Committee of the Cofra Board of Directors, stated that Cofra would evolve into a value-driven investment management group.

With Martijn Brenninkmeijer at the helm, the group's managed wealth increased from over 30 billion euros to 40 billion euros in the past three years. Martijn will continue to closely follow the development of the group under Florian Brenninkmeyer. Florian will depart from the financial chief position at the end of the year to take up the new role in April.

He served as the finance team leader and has been involved in various business areas, including more than three years working in Redevco's real estate division and over four years at C&A, where he started his career as a trainee. He spent two years outside the group working at the Rabobank as an analyst for mergers, acquisitions, and sales.

Martijn, who is 56 years old, will remain a part of the family's ownership and will continue to closely follow the group's development. Jens Brenninkmeyer, another sixth-generation representative, serves as CEO of Bregal, while Edward Brenninkmeijer has been the C&A CEO since 2024. C&A is expected to remain an important part of Cofra's portfolio, with full trust in the C&A Europe supervisory board and the management's strategy.