One Team. Lots of dedication.

Dr. Elmar Jakob is responsible for Equity Financing projects, strategic M&A mandates and is concentrating on family owned businesses and their owners.

Career steps

• McKinsey & Company Inc. Financial Institutions Group: Consultant in London and Frankfurt.
• BHF Bank AG, Corporate Finance, Frankfurt

Dr. Elmar Jakob (Diplom Kaufmann) studied in Bamberg, Pisa and Frankfurt / Main and holds a management degree of Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt. He holds a PhD of European Business School Oestrich Winkel (Prof. Dr. Dr. Ann Christine Achleitner).

Dr. Elmar Jakob is the author of numerous articles in economic and management publications and active in several non-profit organizations.

Elmar Jakob likes meeting people and enjoys communication with innovative and interesting counterparties. He enjoys spending time with his family and, whenever possible, takes time for biking and hiking with his family including the family dog Mickey.

Heiko Backmann, CFA is concentrating on financial modelling, valuation and leads M&A projects at IPONTIX. He is consulting on capital market questions like IPO preparation, listings and de-listings. He looks into finance alternatives for listed companies.

Career Steps

• Managing Director at x-ray equity consult, a consulting firm on institutional investments in the German and European equity markets.
• Equity sales, research and consulting in various German and international banks like Macquarie, Sal. Oppenheim, Kepler Equities, Julius Bär and HypoVereinsbank.
• Economist at HypoVereinsbank.

Heiko Backmann holds a degree in Economics from Freie Universität Berlin and is a CFA charter holder since 2001. He is active in the German CFA society as a Corporate Mentor in the CFA Research Challenge and several financial and advocacy committees and functions.

Heiko Backmann likes running, swimming and occasionally plays golf. He loves to cook and spends time with his sons sightseeing or canoeing.

Carl Kau is Managing Partner at IPONTIX CORPORATE FINANCE in Bremen, where he has been living and working since 2000. Carl Kau is advising companies in Northern Germany and focusses on debt financing projects.

Career steps:

• Head and founder of the Bremen branch of Oldenburgische Landesbank AG
• Managing Director at Commerzbank Bremen and Head of Corporate Banking
• More than 4 decades involved in financing and commercial positions in industrial and financial mid-sized companies

Carl Kau holds a degree in law and has a banking formation. He is actively involved in several non-profit organisations and especially active in the German Association of Tax Payers in the federal state of Niedersachsen and the city of Bremen.

Kai Müller-Bachmann is a partner at IPONTIX CORPORATE FINANCE Hanseatische Beratungsgesellschaft mbH based in Bremen and advises our clients on the structuring of tailor-made financing and its implementation with the right partners. 

Career steps:

• Worked for more than 20 years as Director of Corporate Client Services for Commerzbank AG Bremen
• HypoVereinsbank in Hamburg, focusing on the support of medium-sized corporate clients. There, the focus was on advising companies in the area of financing in connection with M&A transactions as well as growth and working capital financing.

Kai Mueller-Bachmann has a degree as a Bankbetriebswirt (BA).

Elisabeth Rahmer is a banking and restructuring expert. At IPONTIX she is responsible for debt financing and restructuring. She concentrates on special and complex financial situations. When consulting medium-sized companies, she concentrates on restructuring the financing side of the balance sheet as well as the connection between financing solutions and operating changes.

Career steps:

• Deutsche Bank AG, Head of Financial Restructuring in Frankfurt
• Several positions within HypoVereinsbank including Real Estate Financing and risk management
• Extensive experience in financial restructuring projects in several industrial companies

Elisabeth Rahmer is a Supervisory / Advisory board member in several German companies.

Thomas Retzlaff supports medium-sized companies on the Equity financing side. He is responsible for connecting Family offices and companies as well as the relationship to Private Equity investors and strategic long-term investors. He is looking into ownership succession, M&A projects as well as strategic growth programs.

Career steps

• Partner at Lehel Partners Corporate Finance
• Managing Director at several renowned Family Offices like Harald Quandt Gruppe and Immo Ströher
• ABB, Mannheim, Head of M&A
• Bain & Company

Thomas Retzlaff holds a degree in Management of University of Hamburg and an expert in investment management and M&A transactions.

He used to be a Supervisory and Advisory board member of several companies. He is active in a variety of non-profit organisations among others at the foundation “Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes”, which is promoting education of talented German students.

Thomas Retzlaff likes classical music, good coffee and loves to bike and play tennis.

Evelyn Raum is responsible for all administrative topics within IPONTIX including marketing. For many years she was the personal assistant of the Managing Partners.

Career steps

• United Airlines, Analyst Controlling and Personnel at the German Head office in Frankfurt. PA of the Office Head
• IRR Deutschland GmbH, conference manager, organization of congresses, conferences and meetings for executives in economy and politics

Evelyn Raum holds a degree in Management with a specialisation in tourism from the Heilbronn university.

Evelyn Raum loves the shores and bridges of the river Elbe in Dresden, her home town. She spends most of her time with her kids. She is inspired by detail and colours and is an absolut flower lovers.

Ecaterina Gotzler, B.Sc, works as assistant to the Managing Partners and is directly involved in supporting projects.

Ecaterina Gotzler holds a Bachelor degree in Management from Goethe University in Frankfurt/Main.

Ecaterina is interested in all cultural and arts topics. She loves travelling and dedicates most of her spare time to her family and young children.

Ulrich Barnickel has a Capital Markets background and extensive experience in structuring IPO listings, Going Private and other Capital Market operations. He is a debt financing specialist and brings in his network of banking and financing professionals as well as selected industrial contacts.

Christoph Diedrich is advising private and publicly listed companies on strategic financing topics. His advisory work is focused on debt and equity financing in the context of M&A transactions, spin-offs, growth or internationalization projects, ownership changes and joint-ventures.

• more than 13 years as Co-Head Corporate Coverage, Corporate Banking, Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen, Frankfurt/Main
• 4 years as Head of Business Development, M&A and Corporate Finance, Drueker & Co, Frankfurt/Main

• over a decade working for Credit Suisse in several functions within the corporate & investment banking branch in Frankfurt, London and Zurich

For more than 30 years, he has been advising LargeCaps and Mittelstand Companies on Corporate Finance projects as well as on Debt and Equity Capital Markets financings. Over his professional life, he has developed a broad network into leading German corporates, often family-owned companies.

Christoph Diedrich holds a degree in Business Administration of European-Business-School, Oestrich-Winkel. The proficiency level in English, French and Spanish offers additional personal skills for successful international advisory work.

As active sportsman, Christoph enjoys challenges for his capabilities in tennis and sailing.

Michael Dressen is an IT industry expert with 35 years of international management experience. He supports the IPONTIX team and IPONTIX customers with his industry expertise and network.

Professional stations:

• 10 years Managing Director (DACH) at the top of TD SYNNEX (formerly Tech Data) organisations in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and member of the European Executive Board.
• 6 years member of the Executive Board of ALSO AG and Managing Director in Germany and Norway
• Consulting and interim management with the consulting company DHI DRESSENHEIMS INTERNATIONAL GmbH, which he founded
• CEO of the American distributor Ameriquest Technologies Inc. in Los Angeles, USA
• 8 years with the Munich-based company Computer 2000 in Germany, including 4 years as Managing Director of the Italian subsidiary in Milan

Michael Dressen is an IT businessman. He started his professional career at SONY as a product manager.

Besides his mother tongue, he is fluent in English and Italian.

In his private life, he enjoys contemporary literature and modern history.

Dr. Gerhard Schell is a controlling and valuation specialist. Before being a IPONTIX Managing Partner, he worked in senior controlling positions at BHF bank and as an analyst for capital market transactions. Dr. Schell is a member of the German analyst association (DVFA) and is supporting IPONTIX with his valuation and controlling experience.

Ralph Schweens is an expert in the chemical industry with 33 years of international management experience. He supports the IPONTIX team and IPONTIX customers with his industry expertise and his network.

Professional background:

• Director of Agro and Chemicals at BASF Mexicana
• A total of 7 years of experience as Vice President and later Group Vice President in the Adhesives and Construction Industry business unit at BASF SE in Ludwigshafen, Germany
• Head of Global Strategic Marketing Polyurethanes at BASF Polyurethanes based in Brussels
  Managing Director of BASF Mexicana with responsibility for Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean
• 5 years head of the South America division of BASF in Sao Paulo, Brazil
• Head of the Care Chemicals division, BASF SE, Ludwigshafen, Germany

Ralph Schweens graduated in business administration from the University of Mannheim and began his professional career in Inhouse Consulting at BASF AG in Ludwigshafen.

In addition to his native German, he is fluent in English, Spanish and Portuguese.

In his free time, he enjoys travelling, cooking, golf, literature and music.