Wolfgang Schäfers

Wolfgang Schäfers (* 1965 in Erwitte / North Rhine-Westphalia) holds the chair for real estate management at the IREBS International Real Estate Business School at the University of Regensburg . Until March 2014 he was spokesman for the Executive Board of IVG Immobilien AG .

biography

After training as a banker, Wolfgang Schäfers studied business administration at the University of Mannheim . He then received his doctorate in 1996 from Karl-Werner Schulte's chair for real estate management at the EBS University of Economics and Law . After completing his doctorate, he first worked for Arthur Andersen , and from 2000 as a partner. From 2002 to January 2009 he was Managing Director / Head of Real Estate Investment Banking at Sal. Oppenheim in Frankfurt am Main. In 2004, Wolfgang Schäfers was appointed professor of real estate management at the IREBS Institute for Real Estate Management at the University of Regensburg .

On February 1, 2009, he became a member of the Executive Board and CFO of IVG Immobilien AG in Bonn. In May 2011, he was appointed CEO of IVG Immobilien AG with effect from November 1, 2011 at the latest. At the University of Regensburg he was on leave from this appointment until the end of 2012.

In addition to his activities, Wolfgang Schäfers is a lecturer at the IREBS Real Estate Academy in Eltville. He is the author and (co-) editor of various publications on real estate topics. Among other things, he is co-editor of the manual “Corporate Real Estate Management” (1998/2004) and the manual “Real Estate Banking” (2002), which were published by Rudolf Müller Verlag in Cologne.

Wolfgang Schäfers is a founding member of the Gesellschaft für Immobilienwirtschaftliche Forschung (gif), a member of the European Real Estate Society (ERES) and a member of the editorial advisory board of the “Zeitschrift für Immobilienökonomie”.

Current

Wolfgang Schäfers and Christian Blomeyer , Chancellor of the University of Regensburg, came under fire in August 2013 because Schäfers worked for private companies in addition to his professorship.

Initially, Schäfers is accused in media reports of having been employed by Sal. Oppenheim from 2005 to 2007 and at the same time being a professor for the University of Regensburg. Furthermore, the university was fully informed about all of Schäfer's secondary activities.

Blomeyer and Schäfers are also criticized because Blomeyer had approved an application from Schäfers regarding his position as CEO of IVG AG in the form of a sideline. The legality of this authorization and the responsibility of the Chancellor have been questioned in some media reports. In October, Schäfers was given leave of absence from the University of Regensburg for the 2013/14 winter semester so that he could take care of the restructuring of the financially ailing IVG. The current situation of IVG would be worsened by an abrupt change in leadership, which is why Schäfer's leave of absence was approved. Schäfers had assured the university that after the renovation was completed in spring 2014, he would be available for his post as professor again.

IVG ran into financial difficulties due to transactions from 2006–2008 and had to apply for protective shield proceedings in August 2013. Schäfers was appointed to the IVG Board of Management in 2009 when the company's financial difficulties became apparent. Schäfers was commissioned to reorganize the company and make it fit for the capital market again. This process is currently underway: at the beginning of November, the Bonn District Court approved IVG's application to initiate proceedings under owner management, so that IVG can restructure itself on the basis of an insolvency plan to be drawn up by the Executive Board. The insolvency plan is to be presented to the court by Christmas 2013, so that the bankruptcy proceedings can be canceled in spring 2014.

On December 9, 2013, Wirtschaftswoche reported that IVG was also planning to subject transactions from 2006 to 2008 to a special audit. According to Wirtschaftswoche, this test could have "expensive consequences" for Wolfhard Leichnitz, the former board member of IVG, and other former employees if they can be held liable for the losses from these transactions.

Schäfers is not affected by this test. The Wirtschaftswoche rather suspects that the “decisive decline of IVG” occurred during the term of office of Wolfhard Leichnitz. During this time IVG initiated projects such as the Frankfurt office and business complex The Squaire and the London office tower The Gherkin . These were mainly financed by outside capital. Since the projects could not be completed on time, the costs for development got out of hand. According to Handelsblatt and other leading media, IVG has raised the financing of the projects. In the opinion of the FAZ , Schäfers therefore did not have much leeway in negotiations with the creditors in the ongoing insolvency proceedings . He only has the role of moderator.

Web links

• Literature by and about Wolfgang Schäfers in the catalog of the German National Library
• Biography on the homepage of the Chair for Real Estate Management, University of Regensburg
• Portrait of the person on the IVG homepage ( Memento from October 15, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
• Dr. Wolfgang Schäfers new CFO of IVG Immobilien AG - Dr. Bernd Kottmann is leaving the board at his own request ( memento from March 10, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Press release from January 28, 2009

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Dr. Gerhard Niesslein does not extend his contract, which expires at the end of October 2011 - Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Schäfers appointed as successor ( Memento of the original from May 27, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. - IVG AG press release of May 17, 2011  
2. ↑ Press release of the University of Regensburg from September 16, 2013.
3. ↑ Press release of the University of Regensburg from October 1st, 2013.
4. ↑ The restructuring of IVG Immobilien AG enters the decisive phase as planned.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. IVG, November 1, 2013 (press release).  
5. ↑ ^{a b} Print edition of WirtschaftsWoche, edition 50/2013.
6. ↑ Real estate company. IVG opens the protective screen. In: Handelsblatt , August 20, 2013.
7. ^ Helmut Bünder: IVG real estate. Dancers on the edge. In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung . August 12, 2013.