Businessman Cornelius Geber's profile is a complex one: on the one hand it is defined by a special affinity for business in practice, on the other by his instinctive feel for commercially attractive prospects which he puts into practice through various projects. In many cases he and his CG Investment & Management Companies play a key role.
Today Cornelius Geber plays a central role in the redirection and acquisition of firms from various fields and there are many reasons for this. Firstly it can be attributed to his high level of competence in strategic business consultancy. Secondly, Cornelius Geber uses his extensive experience of line management in active business. And, last but not least, all the projects in which Geber becomes involved benefit from his excellent networking. The versatile businessman maintains his links with the roots of the business to this day: "I'd rather go into a firm I don't know via the ramp in the courtyard than through the main entrance - by the time I arrive at the office I've already had several interesting conversations."
Today, Cornelius Geber is considered to be an expert in the logistics market in particular and is an influential force in the sale and purchase of various companies. The work he has done in logistics firms is one of the main focuses of his career. One event that stands out in his C.V. is his time spent as a member of the Board of Directors of Kühne and Nagel International AG. During his time as a board member of this leading logistics firm, Cornelius Geber had overall responsibility for 6,500 employees of the approximately 15,000 employees worldwide.
After he left the Kühne & Nagel Holding, where he was a Member of the Board of Directors for several successful years, Cornelius Geber built up a new and independent profile for himself as a businessman and consultant. Today, this portfolio includes not only classical strategic consulting and M+A projects but is also notable for its many top-class commitments carried out in close collaboration with selected private equity investment groups.
A good example is the successful acquisition of Celanese AG through BCP Holdings GmbH, later Celanese European Holding GmbH. One of Geber's many activities is as Manager of Celanese European Holding GmbH, which is controlled by Blackstone Funds, New York. He is also a Member of the Supervisory Board of Celanese AG where he utilises his extensive business expertise both actively and critically, as he does in several other companies, many of which are listed on the stock exchange.
In 2000 he set up the CG Investment & Management GmbH in Hamburg and the CG Investment and Management AG in Jona, Switzerland to handle various projects. Cornelius Geber does not limit himself to the role of a consultant: he is also involved as co-investor in some of his projects.
Another area of increasing interest for Cornelius Geber concerns small and medium-sized enterprises. "In small businesses it is essential not only to find the right concepts but also suitable partners to form the basis for a workable company in future and to avoid, for example, serious problems occurring further down the line," explains Geber who also holds many high-level supervisory board appointments and, in this way, makes his knowledge available to the owners of firms of all sizes.
As a result, Cornelius Geber, who lives in Germany and Switzerland, keeps his own organisation slim - "which, however, requires that large, effective teams for particular tasks must be formed within a very short space of time," emphasises Geber.