Florian Geier joined Deutsche Beteiligungs AG in 2025.
He joins DBAG from Lazard where he worked as an Investment Banking Analyst.
Florian Geier holds a Bachelor of Science in Econometrics and Operations Research from Maastricht University and a Master of Science in Finance from WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management.
Sam Henkes joined DBAG Luxembourg in 2023.
He started his career as a transfer agent with Fidelity Investments, before working as an Account Manager with ATC Corporate Services. Afterwards he joined The Riverside Company, an American private equity company, where he spent almost 12 years as a Director of Finance and Accounting. In 2020, he furthermore became Conducting Officer and was part of the senior management for Riverside´s newly created AIFM.
Sam Henkes holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Université de Namur, Belgium.
Bernd Sexauer was initially with Deutsche Beteiligungs AG from 1991 to 2006 and became a Managing Director in 1998. Since his return in 2012, he has been strengthening the team at Deutsche Beteiligungs AG once more.
Prior to entering private equity practice, he earned a degree in Business Administration from Goethe University, Frankfurt. From 2006 to 2012 he was Managing Director at DZ Equity Partner and at Prolimity Capital Partners, and CEO of publicly listed Heliad Equity Partners.
Bernd Sexauer has more than 30 years of experience in the investment business and in corporate finance. As a member of supervisory boards, advisory councils and other governance bodies he has supported 'Mittelstand' companies in numerous transactions. He has a wealth of knowledge especially of the automotive supplier sector, which he was able to apply for the investment in Oechsler.
Dennis Jankowski joined Deutsche Beteiligungs AG as Head of Risk Management in 2014.
He is also responsible for the areas of Internal Control System, Data Protection, Internal Audit, Business Systems and Organisation.
Previously, Dennis Jankowski worked as a Risk Manager for various countries at American Express Services Europe Ltd. and Stada Arzneimittel AG. He began his career as a consultant in Internal Audit, Risk & Compliance Services at KPMG in London and Frankfurt/Main.
Dennis Jankowski holds a diploma and a bachelor’s degree in Banking from the Baden‑Württemberg Cooperative State University.
Our core objective:
Sustainable increase in the company’s value
Investments in well-positioned mid-sized companies with development potential
We assume responsibility for the impact our decisions have on others – now and in the future. We align our actions and behaviour accordingly in the way we manage our Company, and especially in the way we carry out the investment process in (as well as the development and later disposal of) our portfolio companies.
Linda Hoegener Schinwald joined the Investment Advisory Team of Deutsche Beteiligungs AG in 2014 and was appointed as Managing Director in 2024. Since then, she has been responsible for business development with a focus on intermediary & sponsor coverage, succession situations and family offices.
She has over ten years of experience in the private equity sector and has been involved in numerous company investments and disposals. She gained previous experience in industry, in the portfolio company of a fund and at another investment company.
Linda Hoegener Schinwald holds a degree in mechanical engineering from the Technical University of Munich and an MBA from the Collège des Ingénieurs Paris. She also studied at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid and at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
Thomas Weber joined DBAG in 2014 and works in the Business Development department.
Previously, he held positions at PwC, Commerzbank, and Concept Consulting, a mid-sized consulting firm. His responsibilities in Business Development include deal sourcing, managing the DBAG network, and addressing C-level and advisory board-related matters.
Thomas Weber holds a degree in law from Goethe University Frankfurt/Main.
Our shareholders and the investors in DBAG funds have entrusted us with capital. They expect us to invest these resources in attractive and promising investments. It is therefore crucial for us to maintain a high-quality and sufficiently robust pipeline of potential investment opportunities at all times. This requires a broad range of market activities: from several hundred projects each year, our objective is to successfully complete three to six transactions annually.
Initiating and managing this deal-sourcing process is one of the core responsibilities of Business Development. The team proactively identifies companies of interest to DBAG, with a particular focus on succession situations. At the same time, we also pursue transactions with financial investors and corporate sellers.
In addition, Business Development coordinates our collaboration with investment banks and M&A advisors, which are also an important source of new transactions. Accordingly, maintaining relationships with intermediaries—as well as with market participants and competitors—is a key component of our work.
Another critical success factor in deal sourcing is the expansion and maintenance of our network of industry experts—the so-called Executive Circle. This group primarily consists of former board members and CEOs from the sectors in which DBAG invests. They support our team with their experience, expertise, and networks. To preserve the unique value of this select circle of business leaders, it must continuously evolve—actively shaping this development is also part of our responsibilities.
Furthermore, the Business Development team represents Deutsche Beteiligungs AG at conferences and trade fairs. At these events, we provide insights into our many years of experience in the private equity environment and explain DBAG’s investment strategy. In this way, we sustainably strengthen DBAG’s market outreach and presence.
To us, an industrial expert is someone who, thanks to his or her in-depth knowledge of the industry, backs us in preparing investment decisions and supporting portfolio companies. Industrial experts advise the investment team as it analyses potential investments and they provide support as a strategy is developed for each of the companies. In addition, seats on supervisory boards or advisory councils are often filled by industrial experts.
If you have a proven track record successfully managing a large internationally operating company in one of our relevant sectors and if working entrepreneurially remains appealing to you, then feel free to contact me.
We are known for successful investments in Mittelstand enterprises. In addition to our longstanding market presence from which we have gained extensive experience, we have a focused investment strategy and a high level of transparency. Beyond that, what sets us apart is our proven expertise in Germany’s Mittelstand across various sectors. With individual equity capital solutions ranging from 10 to 200 million euros, we offer a broad spectrum of solutions for mid-sized companies.
We consider ourselves to be strategic partners to our portfolio companies, and it is important for us that we have trusting, reliable relationships with all of a company’s stakeholders.
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