CFO and COO – Helrom fills key positions

Matthias Herrmann will be Chief Finance Officer. He has international experience in corporate finance and accounting and in 2017, at the age of 32, was one of the youngest board members of a listed company.

With the appointment of the two Executive Board positions of CFO and COO, Helrom GmbH was able to significantly strengthen its corporate management. From the company’s point of view, the high level of professional expertise and experience of Wolfgang Maier and Matthias Herrmann represent further steps on the way to establishing Helrom GmbH in the market and continuing its course of growth.

CEO Roman Noack emphasises the importance of the two new management team members and looks forward to working with them: “We’re happy and proud that we have succeeded in bringing Wolfgang Maier and Matthias Herrmann to Helrom. Wolfgang Maier is a real professional heavyweight when it comes to rail freight transportation. He has unique experience in the setup and operational management of rail trans­port services. With his international financial experience and clear focus on Environmental Social Governance (ESG), Matthias Herrmann is also an ideal team mem­ber on our path to success.”

Wolfgang Maier – 42 years of experience and exper-tise in rail freight transportation  

Wolfgang Maier’s entire career is linked closely to rail freight transportation services in Europe. Before joining Helrom, Maier spent 42 years in all areas of freight transportation – from his start at the mar­shalling yard in Munich to operational management of European rail freight transport at DB Cargo, with responsibility for more than 5,000 employees. “I got to know many areas of freight transportation in all of its facets,” says Maier. “And it was always important to me to stay as close as possible to the grassroots of the business, so where the trains run.” 

As Head of Operations, Wolfgang Maier and his team were responsible for managing DB Cargo’s European freight transportation. From this position he coordi­nated the recent merger of Operations with DB Cargo Customer Service to form the new DB Cargo Control Tower, which he headed until his move to Helrom. “The DB Cargo Control Tower combined responsibility for the start and destination points of rail freight transportation with the complete customer process, from ordering to invoicing,” explains Maier.

The move to Helrom as COO after 42 years with DB Cargo is a significant step for Wolfgang Maier and a task that fills him with enthusiasm: “When I saw the Helrom trailer wagon in action for the first time, I was really excited. Helrom’s production model opens up a revolutionary opportunity in rail freight trans­portation services. With this new intermodal concept, we are opening up a completely new and huge market segment for rail.”."

As COO, he would like to make a contribution towards realising the market opportunities and possibilities for Helrom GmbH in the coming years. “At the moment, the main thing is to continue setting up the structures,”said Maier when describing the first steps. “By the middle of next year we will no longer have just 18 wagons, but 120, and that’s a big task.” For Wolfgang Maier, the key to success lies in the team and the motivation of Helrom employees. “The employees are the measure of all things. And Helrom has a motivated and extremely enthusiastic team. Working with the highly committed team at Helrom is therefore really great.”

Matthias Herrmann – From youngest board member to financial expert with a focus on ESG

Matthias Herrmann started his career in 2005 as a banker at Commerzbank. He then worked for Grenke AG from 2008, in Ireland from 2009, where he set up a finance team for Grenke AG in his management role and was responsible for all financing issues for six years. In addition to his doctorate in business adminis­tration, Matthias Herrmann is a Chartered Accountant (ACCA), Professional Risk Manager (PRMIA) and Certified Mediator (Mediators’ Institute of Ireland). From 2017 to 2021, he was one of the youngest German board members of a listed company, first as CFO, then as CEO of ROY Asset Holding.

One of his guiding principles from the very beginning was to make a meaningful contribution to society through his work. “For me, this is a common thread that runs through everything I’m committed to,” he emphasises. “It’s about looking outside the box towards social responsibility as well.” For this reason, Matthias Herrmann is committed to Environmental Social Governance (ESG) issues. A focal point that he also sees for his work as CFO of Helrom GmbH: “I want to make a real contribution with Helrom here. On the one hand, through the CO2 savings of our transportation services and, on the other, in terms of our financing. Financing partners should have an ESG background or be active in the ESG environment as well.”

Matthias Herrmann has an excellent network in the financial world and has been responsible for financing activities of around two to three billion euros. What is important to him at Helrom is the operating result.  “That is a key criterion for me,” he says while empha­sising the unusually good balance sheet that the start­up has already achieved: “Our operating result has been very positive since the beginning of the year, and that with just one train so far. That is a gigantic achievement.”

According to Matthias Herrmann, this is a crucial point for investors with a focus on assets that retain their value: “We not only have a sustainable product, but also a business model that verifiably works. The potential of Helrom over the next ten years is immense.” As the new CFO, he wants to combine economic and social goals in his work with Helrom: “My goal is to develop Helrom into a great company. We are an investment with real value, which makes a contribution towards decarbonisation while easing the burden on truck drivers. I’m grateful to be an active part of this.”