There is another change in the leadership ranks at Swiss investment group Cofra. Henry Schirmer will become the new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Cofra Holding AG, based in Zug, effective 1 January 2027. His appointment is still subject to approval by the relevant supervisory authorities.

Schirmer succeeds Florian Brenninkmeyer, who was recently appointed the group’s new Chairman of the Board of Directors. Brenninkmeyer will take on this role in April 2027; finews reported on this.

Many Years of Experience at International Groups

With Schirmer, Cofra is gaining an internationally experienced finance executive. He has more than 25 years of experience in senior finance and management roles.

Among other positions, he served as CFO of the listed Dutch staffing services provider Randstad. Before that, he was responsible for Europe and North America as finance chief at Unilever.

Schirmer is already familiar with the Cofra group. Since June 2024, he has held the position of Chief Family Ownership Officer. In this role, he works closely with the owner family and management.

He also sits on the Board of Directors of General American Investors and on the board of the German-Dutch Chamber of Commerce.

Transformation Into an Investment Group

“I am convinced that his expertise and his experience as a CFO will make a decisive contribution to maintaining the group’s financial discipline as we continue our development into a family-owned investment management group,” says Boudewijn Beerkens, CEO of Cofra Holding.

Boudewijn Beerkens, CEO of Cofra Holding. (Image: zVg)

Cofra is one of Europe’s long-established family-owned corporate groups. The company’s roots go back more than 180 years.

The portfolio includes the private markets specialist Bregal, the real estate company Redevco and Anthos Fund & Asset Management, among others. In addition, the group is active in retail and clean energy.

The holding company, based in Zug, operates in Europe, the Americas and Asia.