FRANKFURT—July 15, 2020—Houlihan Lokey (NYSE:HLI), the global investment bank, announced today that former German Federal Minister Matthias Wissmann has joined the firm as a Senior Advisor in Germany. The firm recently appointed Andreas Dombret, former Bundesbank board member, as Independent Chairman of its DACH region.
Mr. Wissmann was a member of the German Bundestag from 1976 to 2007 and served as Federal Minister of Research and Technology and then Minister of Transport from 1993 to 1998. After leaving the Bundestag, Wissmann took over the chairmanship of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA) from 2007 to 2018 and the presidency of the international automotive association OICA from 2016 to 2019.
"Matthias Wissmann has been closely connected to the business community for decades," said Andreas Dombret, Independent Chairman of DACH. "For Houlihan Lokey, he will be an important partner and provide invaluable counsel for both our M&A and Restructuring businesses in Germany."
"Matthias Wissmann is a well-regarded statesman and a high-calibre business expert," commented Scott Adelson, Co-President of Houlihan Lokey. "His expertise in the Mittelstand ideally complements our focus on the mid-cap segment."
"I am delighted to join Houlihan Lokey and I look forward to making my contribution to support the firm’s growth plans in Germany and in Europe," said Matthias Wissmann.
In addition to his ministerial posts, Mr. Wissmann held a number of important political functions with close links to the economy. From 1983 to 1993, he was economic policy spokesman for the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag. From November 1998 to October 2002, he was Chairman of the Committee on Economics and Technology, and from November 2002 to the end of May 2007, he was Chairman of the Committee on EU Affairs.