At Swiss-based Cofra Holding AG a generational change is underway: Florian Brenninkmeyer will become the new chairman of the board of directors of the family holding company in April 2027. He succeeds Martijn Brenninkmeijer, who is stepping down after twelve years at the helm of the company. 

The appointment is also notable because leadership on the owner side is thus passing from the fifth to the sixth generation of the Brenninkmeijer family. The family’s entrepreneurial history dates back to 1841, when Clemens and August Brenninkmeijer founded the fashion group C&A. 

From CFO to The Top of The Board

Florian Brenninkmeyer is currently Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Cofra. Previously, he headed the Group Finance Team and held various finance and leadership roles at Cofra, the real estate company Redevco, C&A and the Dutch Rabobank. 

Brenninkmeyer will step down from his CFO role at the end of December 2026 to prepare for the transition to his new position. COFRA will announce his successor as finance chief at a later date. 

€40 billion in Assets Under Management

Under Martijn Brenninkmeijer, Cofra has increasingly evolved from a classic family holding company into a broadly diversified investment management group. Assets under management rose to a total of €40 billion. At the same time, the portfolio of financial assets and real assets was diversified and the range of investment strategies expanded. 

The group now includes, among others, Bregal Investments in private equity, Redevco in real estate and Anthos Fund & Asset Management. In addition, Cofra remains active in retail as well as in clean energy. The holding company is headquartered in Switzerland and operates in Europe, the Americas and Asia. 

Twelve Years at The Helm

Martijn Brenninkmeijer was at the helm of the group for a total of twelve years: first as CEO from 2015 and since 2018 as chairman of the board of directors. During his tenure, Cofra says it strategically repositioned itself and expanded its investment activities. 

John Singer, a member of the board’s governance and nomination committee, points in particular to the company’s «consistent governance, strong corporate culture and robust balance sheet structure». Brenninkmeyer, for his part, brings deep knowledge of the business portfolio as well as many years of experience in finance and transformation. 

The designated chairman makes it clear that he intends to continue the chosen investment strategy. Cofra aims to invest its expertise, capital and entrepreneurial resources in companies and stakes with the potential to generate above-average value creation. At the same time, he described strong corporate governance as central to the family business, which has existed for 185 years.