Change of ownership at schülke successfully completed – Growth strategy with focus on innovations to be continued

03.11.2023

Norderstedt, November 03, 2023. Schülke & Mayr TopCo GmbH ("schülke" or "the company") today announced the successful completion of the change of ownership from EQT Private Equity to a Consortium led by ATHOS on 1. November 2023.

  • Schülke, the sustainability leader in infection prevention and treatment for the healthcare and life sciences industries, has a new shareholder as of November 2023
  • A Consortium led by ATHOS and Bitburger Holding succeeds EQT Private Equity
  • Jan-Dirk Auris succeeds Stefan Kukacka as CEO, together with the Consortium, the management team will continue the successful growth strategy with a focus on innovations for the healthcare sector

ATHOS is a Munich-based single family office and invests in companies with an entrepreneurial, long-term and value-oriented approach in the healthcare and life sciences sectors. Together with other co-investors, which include Bitburger Holding, they form the Consortium.

In the course of the change of ownership, Jan-Dirk Auris will succeed Stefan Kukacka as schülke CEO. Jan-Dirk Auris joins from Henkel, where he was responsible for the Adhesive Technologies division as a member of the Management Board since 2011. He worked for Henkel for over 30 years and has many years of industry knowledge. Continuity is ensured through a comprehensive transition phase.

With almost 135 years of tradition, schülke has established itself as an innovation leader and central partner to the healthcare sector in the development of holistic and system-critical solutions for infection prevention and treatment. As a leading provider of sustainable solutions, the company meets the diverse needs of its customers, which include hospitals and other healthcare facilities, with high-quality products and high delivery reliability. In addition, the company sells its products to pharmacies and care providers as well as to the global life sciences industry. schülke holds market-leading positions in Central and Eastern Europe, Australia, and Brazil.

The goal of the schülke management team, with the support of the Consortium, is to continue the successful growth strategy with a focus on innovation and to remain a reliable partner for the company's customers and the healthcare sector - true to the mission "We protect lives - worldwide". The collaboration will focus on continuing the sustainability agenda, accelerating investments in new product innovations, further strengthening customer loyalty, and entering additional geographic markets. The Consortium aims to build on what makes schülke so unique - trust, quality, innovation, and passion - and further strengthen these values.

Jan-Dirk Auris, new CEO of schülke, said: "I am very much looking forward to my new tasks and especially to continuing to implement the common goal of sustainable corporate development and the focus on innovation as well as the mission 'We protect lives - worldwide'. The focus of our work is on the satisfaction of our customers and end customers as well as our employees. With ATHOS and the other family offices, we have strong partners at our side who have many years of industry experience and will support us in implementing our strategy and continuing on our growth path."

Wolfgang Essler, General Manager at ATHOS, said, " ATHOS, with its strong expertise and network in Healthcare and Life Sciences, is the ideal partner for schülke to support the next growth phase of the company with the same cultural values. With Jan-Dirk Auris we have gained a strong leader and a very experienced manager as CEO. We are looking forward to working together and to continuing to invest in the schülke company and to offering employees a secure and also long-term perspective."

Schülke & Mayr GmbH (schülke)

Schülke & Mayr GmbH, with its headquarters in Norderstedt near Hamburg, has been a global leader in infection prevention and control for almost 135 years. Infectious germs know no borders - this has always been the case and is even more common in today's globalized world. Committed to the mission "We protect lives worldwide", the strategic business areas of schülke Healthcare, Over the Counter (OTC) and Life Sciences actively contribute to the safety and health protection of people. With strong brands such as octenisept®, kodan®, desderman® or microshield®, schülke is one of the international market leaders in the field of wound and mucous membrane antisepsis as well as hand and surface disinfection in German hospitals. People in more than 80 countries around the world rely on schülke products every day. With its wide range of high-quality and innovative products, expert advice and reliable service, schülke offers holistic concepts for infection treatment and control in professional healthcare, for end users and the pharmaceutical sector. Schülke consists of more than 1,100 dedicated employees, over 20 subsidiaries and three production sites in Germany (schülke), France (Bioxal) and Brazil (Vic Pharma). In 2022, schülke contributed to protecting patients and health care professionals in hospitals from infections with nearly three billion product applications.

You can find more information about schülke here: www.schuelke.com

About ATHOS

ATHOS is a Munich-based single family office with a long tradition in the healthcare and life science industry. ATHOS invests, guided by an entrepreneurial and value-based approach, in companies with particular scientific expertise and strong technology orientation.

Contact

Rothenburg & Partner GmbH
Friesenweg 5e | 22763 Hamburg
Tel. +49408891080
www.rothenburg-pr.de

Verena Busch
Managing Director
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