Frank Stronach
Frank Stronach ( born September 6, 1932 in Semmering Small bei Weiz, Styria as Franz straw bag) is an Austrian- Canadian industrialist, billionaire and former politician. He is chairman of the party he founded Team Stronach.
Life
Stronach trained as a toolmaker. After he had lived for a year in Bern, Switzerland, where he also played football at FC Helvetia, he emigrated in 1954 - by its own account - $ 200 in his pocket to Canada.
Entrepreneurial activity
After 1965, the governments of the United States and Canada had adopted the Canada - United States Automotive Products Agreement ( short Auto Pact or APTA ) that this required the automaker by the government, sold to the production in Canada cars also set quotas of Canada to use produced auto parts, experienced the automotive supply industry in Canada an upswing. In a rented garage Stronach started to manufacture parts for the automotive industry. 1968 the company merged MultiMatic he founded the company Magna Electronics, a manufacturer of defense electronics, and has over the years as Magna International Inc., under his leadership, one of the largest companies in the automotive supply industry in North America. Magna International Inc., headquartered in Aurora, Ontario / Canada, is now a leading global supplier of technologically advanced auto parts, with over 20 billion in revenue and more than 90,000 employees. 1986, responsible for the European market subsidiary Magna Europe was founded, whose headquarters Magna Holding AG in Oberwaltersdorf (Lower Austria ) is established.
With his return to Austria Stronach caused a great stir in the media and in public. In 1989, he planned to build in Ebreichsdorf an amusement park, whose main attraction a globe with a diameter of 200 m should have been. The project failed. In 1998 he took his company the Steyr Daimler Puch AG. During a restructuring of the Magna group he founded in 1999 in Canada under the umbrella of MI Developments Inc. (MI Magna International), in which he of Magna International Inc. had not merged for automobile owned company shares and businesses that Magna Entertainment Corporation ( MEC), which soon market leader in these business segments was as the owner and operator of some of horse racing tracks and supplier of horse racing in North America. Industrial and real estate holdings were transferred to the company Granite Real Estate.
The attempted takeover of government shares in the Voest Alpine Stahl AG by Stronach's Magna failed in 2003 after public protests. On April 4, 2004, a leisure center and the racecourse Magna Racino opened in Ebreichsdorf.
In addition to equestrian sports to Stronach involved in football. He supported financially mainly from 2001 to FK Austria Wien, who had transferred to 2007, his professional operation by operation leader contract to Magna Entertainment subsidiary MEC, but other Austrian clubs are and were associated with Stronach. Stronach founded in 2000 in Hollabrunn the Frank Stronach Football Academy (Purpose: training of young footballers ) and served from 1999 to 2005 as President of the Austrian Bundesliga. Coinciding with the task of his presidency, he led in November 2005 after repeated Fanprotesten also his retreat at Austria Vienna. The ongoing since 2000 operating contract by Magna with Austria Vienna ended June 30, 2007; after the 2007/ 08 season, Magna eventually withdrew as a main sponsor of Austria. Stronach led the SC Wiener Neustadt 2008-2011 as president and held the club afterwards as a private sponsor. At least at the beginning of his time in football, he was regarded as only partially familiar with the matter. He is, among others, with the phrase "the best coach can not do anything if the players do not have any condition " quotes.
2007 saw Stronach in competition with the energy drink Red Bull the koffeinhältige drink Frank's Energy Drink on the market, which was initially sold on the racecourses of Magna Entertainment Corporation.
In early 2009 reported Magna Entertainment Corporation filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 11. In the same year Stronach negotiated with General Motors and the German government on the takeover of Opel by Magna, but what it did not come. As a joint subsidiary of Magna International and the Stronach Group 2010 Magna E -Car Systems was founded, a company that deals with the development of electric cars.
In June 2010, Stronach announced its intention to reduce its voting majority of 66 % in the Magna group to 7.4 %, thus effectively giving up control of the company he founded. In the Magna shareholders' meeting of 28 June 2010, the Stronach's exit was decided, for which he should receive a severance payment in the amount of 983 million dollars. However, is about the actual level nor a court dispute with the other shareholders who view this amount as too high.
Acquired in 2011, run by his daughter Belinda Stronach, Magna Group, horse racing and betting lines of MI Developments Inc. In May 2011, he resigned as president of Magna International. In the same year he entered into a cooperation with the German gaming company Gauselmann group to obtain a casino license for Austria and licenses for the operation of slot machines in Lower and Upper Austria with Mercury Entertainment AG founded specifically. Chairman of Mercury Entertainment AG Günter Stummvoll. The contract as the best bidder for the award procedure of the machine licenses in both states finally got the machine manufacturer Novomatic or its subsidiaries Admiral. The competitors, including the Mercury Entertainment AG announced, then insert to complaints to the Independent Administrative Senate, and to sue in the Constitution and the Administrative Court. These steps were justified with the statement that the documents for the procurement processes and the Gambling Act from the perspective of Mercury are not constitutional. In the summer of 2012, the Group announced Gauselmann to apply itself to the award of licenses for the machines Burgenland. We hope to have a " fair procurement procedures ," said the spokesman for the Mercury International. The Mercury Entertainment AG with the partner Frank Stronach would stick in this tender in the background.
Caused a stir in November 2012, a turbulent time in the interview in the image, which was several times before the crash. Stronach vehemently denied a possible involvement in the Euro Fighter affair and called loudly, but in vain, to be able to read a five-minute explanation. Stronach was questioned during the investigation committee to in 2007.
In addition to his residence in Austria Stronach has an apartment in the Swiss canton train, where the limited partnership Stronach & Co. has its headquarters. The Swiss magazine balance leads him annually in the list of the richest Swiss, in 2011, he stood at 83rd place with a fortune of 1.75 billion Swiss francs. The business magazine Forbes led him in 2012 on the list of The World's Billionaires with 1.2 billion U.S. dollars worldwide in 1015 and rank on rank 22 for Canada
Other engagements
Frank Stronach is also active as an art patron. He financed the construction of the four new concert halls Musikverein in Vienna.
In 2003 he founded as part of a public-private partnership of the Magna Group and the Technical University of Graz, the Frank Stronach Institute (FSI ). Organizationally, the FSI part of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Economics. The goals were a long-term research cooperation on the part of the University of the development of expertise in vehicle technology as well as on the part of Magna's called the training of future employees. On 22 November 2004 he was appointed by the Graz University of Technology " for special achievements in the field of business management " honorary professor, which he received the authorization to teach the subject Practical business management.
Policy
A first attempt to grasp itself in the foot policy, Stronach 1988 undertook in Canada with a candidacy for the Liberal Party of Canada, but failed. His daughter Belinda Stronach from 1988 to 2004 and from February 2001 the Supervisory Board Chairman of Magna International, a candidate for the presidency in 2004 the Conservative Party of Canada and arrived in the choice number two. For the Conservative Party, she moved in the same year as deputies in the lower house of a. In 2005, she joined the Liberal Party, where she kept her under house first mandate. It was headed by Prime Minister Paul Martin Minister of State Employees ( Ministry of Human Resources and Skills Development ) and Minister for Democracy Reform (Ministry for Democratic Reform). In 2007, she returned to the board of Magna Group.
Since his return to Austria Stronach committed repeatedly representatives of various Austrian parties for management positions in his company. Vranitzky ( SPÖ), 1986-1997 Chancellor of Austria, was immediately Supervisory Board at Magna International. Karl -Heinz Grasser (then FPÖ), 1994-1998 State Deputy Governor in the Carinthian Government Zernatto II, was then at Magna International Vice President for Human Resources and Public Relations and as of 1999 Director of the members of the Magna Group Sports Management International (SMI ) before he moved to as Minister of Finance, the ÖVP / FPÖ government bowl I 2000. Mathias Reichhold (FPÖ ), 2002 temporarily Federal Minister for Transport, Innovation and Technology in the government bowl and briefly federal party leader of the Freedom Party, has been engaged in order for the management of Magna Steyr. Peter West Thaler ( AAF ), to the splitting up of the FPÖ after the Knittelfelder Party Assembly 2002 Member of Parliament of the Freedom Party, was then also employed at Magna Steyr, then CEO of the Austrian Bundesliga, whose president Stronach was then. The Styrian Provincial Herbert paierl (ÖVP ) was from 2004 to 2005 and since 2009 in the Magna group operates. The former Governor woman Styria 1996-2005, Waltraud Klasnic (ÖVP ), was founded in 2007 " consultant for social -economic issues " at Magna. As chairman, founded in 2011 Mercury Entertainment AG Stronach won the People's Party Members of Parliament Günter Stummvoll. However, this occurred after the criticism that he was responsible for gambling as chairman of the parliamentary Finance Committee, but at the same time wanted to work for a gaming company to come back from this position.
In November 2011, Stronach founded with headquarters in Oberwaltersdorf the association " Frank Stronach Institute for social and economic justice," in which statutes he presented a number of political demands for reform in Austria, including for a " debt brake ", a flat tax and the reduction of state administration. Solutions to these problems would be found " outside party politics ". Another key element of his agenda is to move away from the European Union, in which he sees the danger of a " centralized EU ", whereas he wants to promote " sovereignty [ of nation-states ], market economy, competition and entrepreneurship ." These Stronach held lectures in which he campaigned for his suggestions, and initially sought cooperation with universities. The University of Innsbruck, he donated 150,000 Euro for example, establishing an " Frank Stronach research group" and a " Frank Stronach Chair in Innovation and Entrepreneurship " at the Institute of Strategic Management, Marketing and Tourism. The Advisory Board of the " Frank Stronach Institute for social and economic justice " include Barbara Kolm, 1994-2000 and 2003-2006 FPÖ councilor in Innsbruck since 2000 and General Secretary of the economically liberal Friedrich A. von Hayek Institute, Christian Jauk, CEO of investment Bank Capital Bank - Grawe group AG and to the business journalist Christian Ortner. In the tabloids Kronen Zeitung and today he switched multi-page container with its portrait photo and the logo of the Institute advertisements, in which he called for a " revolution in Austria ". In the Sunday supplement of the Kronen Zeitung since early 2012, written by him column " Frank's World " appears.
This political commitment since the beginning of 2012 was considered as an indication that Stronach even want to enter the Austrian policy. Talks about a possible collaboration he had with representatives of the Alliance for the Future of Austria ( AAF ) and its Chairman Josef Bucher and representatives of the Liberal Forum (LIF ), with the cooperation, according to national spokesman Michael Pock at Stronach's euro-critical position had failed, while have concurred in economic policy and in terms of administrative reform. A party founded under his leadership, he concluded on multiple demand in the media but from repeated decidedly. Our own candidacy in the 2013 regular intervals taking place next general election he called " not tempting ."
In August 2012, he announced in an interview with the German economic news but the formation of a new party, whose program and staff he wanted to officially introduce the end of September. The basic principles of the party he called " truth, transparency and fairness ." The party program was basically finished, while still being worked " on the finishing touches ." As the central point of the first program he stated that the EU countries that use the euro, should return to individual national currencies again. After he had called about Siegfried Wolf, to 2001, President of Magna Europe AG, a very good potential Chancellor in previous interviews, he now announced to the newspaper to the press to try to compete as a top candidate himself. The goal is to achieve a share of the vote of at least ten percent, according to a few days later performed with the newspaper interview by 20 to 30 percent in the national election in 2013 goal. Another program points next to the soon possible abolition of the euro, he cited the earlier charged by that calls for a simplification of the tax system towards a flat tax and the reduction of state administrative organs, especially in the field of social security and federalism.
Stronach has been trying for some time to poach for its being established party politicians of other parties. The Mayor of Spittal an der Drau and Member of Parliament Gerhard Köfer was on 14 August announced to resign from the SPO and to join Stronach. Köfer another four Spittaler city councils of the Social Democratic Party and former FPÖ politician Waltraud Dietrich. Karin Prokop, daughter of former Interior Minister Liese Prokop (ÖVP ) and Councillor Maria Grossenzersdorf, left the ÖVP and switched to Stronach, to collaborate in the construction of his party. A few days after Köfers change was announced that the two " wild", that is currently non-party deputies Erich censurers (former FPÖ, 2008 drawn with the AAF in the National Council, in 2010 expelled from the party ) and Robert Lugar (former FPÖ, 2008 with the AAF came to the National Council, in 2011 the party withdrew ) to Stronach want to connect. The legal requirements for the nationwide -appearance of a party pursuant to the National Election Rules - either a fixed number of declarations of support per state ( 2,600 ) or the support of at least three Members of Parliament - Stronach had met with the three deputies. As a next step, he peilte to, at least five MPs to win for his party still in the planning stages in order to achieve the minimum number to establish a parliamentary clubs. Such a club are to various parliamentary rights (own-initiative requests, urgent requests, etc.) and financial support from the Parliament budget. On August 29, Elisabeth Kaufmann- Bruckenberger Since December 2011, announced as a member of the National Alliance for the Future, known to switch to Stronach's team. The day before it was announced that Stronach with Köfer will run as the top candidate for the latest in early 2013 held election of the Carinthian Landtag.
The new party was officially founded on 25 September 2012 as the team Stronach for Austria. Stronach 's party chairman and as such represents a statutory "the party alone to the outside ". On September 27, a temporary " policy statement " and the team were presented.
The party also wants to compete with the other state elections after participating in the state elections in Carinthia and Lower Austria as well as in the national election in Austria in 2013.
National elections in 2013
In the national election in 2013 on 29 September 2013, the team Stronach was 5.7 % of the vote and went with 11 mandatary in the National Council. The result was well below the company's expectations. Medial was the attributed primarily to the television appearances by Frank Stronach, the scattered here and showed clueless in essential points. Disappointed about the result, Stronach announced in October 2013 to his retirement from politics. According to the Stronach sets the end of January 2014 to be National Council mandate mandate back, it is expected to be transferred to the Burgenland Rouven Ertlschweiger. Stronach has only attended two meetings of the National Council.
Private life
Frank Stronach is married eleven years younger Elfriede (birth name: Sallmutter ) which also originate in the district of Weiz. Public his wife but does not appear. Together they have two children. In 1966, the daughter Belinda to the world, her son Andrew was born in 1968.
Dealing with the media
Media representatives accuse Stronach, not wanting to accept basic rules of journalism. In a form, journalists must undertake to submit before publication of conversations and interviews the entire interview text, including the title and introduction, to review and written approval. The Austrian Journalists Club ( ÖJC ) is calling for a boycott of the interview billionaire. This very strict approach was retained for the team Stronach.
Awards
- Member of the Order of Canada (1999)
- Silver Commander's Cross of Honour for Services to the province of Lower Austria (2000)
- Gold Decoration for Services to the City of Vienna (2002)
- Honorary citizen of the town of Weiz (2002)
- Grand Decoration of Honour in the province of Styria (2007)
- Schumpeter Prize ( 2010)
- Gold Medal with Star for Services to the Republic of Austria (2010)
- Ring of Honor of the Province of Styria (2012 )