With a registered capital of 10 million and a turnover of more than 50 million, Effecten-Spiegel is a well-known brand across the European marketplace. It publishes a weekly investment magazine while also being principally engaged in the acquisition, administration, and management of shareholdings in a variety of other companies. Its portfolio of investments has an effective equity ratio of 96 per cent and no bank debts.
Marlis Weidtmann became CEO of Effecten-Spiegel in 2007 when she took over from the late Bolko Hoffmann, the founder of the business. She originally studied German and history before taking on various secretarial and journalistic roles. Marlis says when she first met Bolko he was looking for an ‘eloquent all-rounder’ to join the team.
“A couple of years after I had started working for him I asked why he chose to take me on,” Marlis recalls. “He said, with a twinkle in his eye, that yes, he needed an all-rounder, but most of all he liked that I didn’t seem to be afraid of him at all. I quickly gained experience and largely expanded my knowledge. I started attending some lectures for accounting at university and, realising that this wouldn’t have been enough, followed on with studies in economics. I graduated from that in 2004.”