DGAP-News: MPC Capital starts 2015 financial year with

MPC Münchmeyer Petersen Capital AG / Key word(s): Final Results/Mergers & Acquisitions 02.03.2015 15:53 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG. The issuer / publisher is solely responsible for the content of this announcement. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- MPC Capital starts 2015 financial year with fresh momentum - 17 percent revenue growth and EUR 4.2 million consolidated net profit in 2014 - Incorporation of shipping company Ahrenkiel Steamship into MPC Capital AG - Ulf Holländer appointed as the new CEO Hamburg, 2 March 2015 - Following on from a successful 2014 that yielded consistently positive key data, MPC Capital is targeting further growth for 2015. The basis on which the Hamburg company is doing so is its reorientation as an internationally operating asset manager in the Real Estate, Infrastructure and Maritime areas. There are also changes among its top management: CEO Dr Axel Schroeder is switching to the Supervisory Board of the group parent and handing over the position of CEO to Chief Financial Officer Ulf Holländer. The MPC Capital Group increased its revenue by around 17 percent to EUR 34.5 million in the 2014 financial year. Several transactions in the Maritime and Real Estate areas had a major impact on its positive development. In addition, MPC Capital was able to initiate high-volume investments of real assets on behalf of institutional investors in 2014. These activities included mandates to acquire and manage office properties in the Netherlands (project volume EUR 160 million), the development of a platform for student accommodation in Germany (EUR 150 million) and the financial structuring of a 178-megawatt wind farm in Portugal (EUR 220 million). In the traditional portfolio business area for public investment funds, it concentrated on active fund management and risk minimisation to optimise product performance. Around 70 employees worked hard to serve existing customers and sales partners. In the retail area, MPC Capital funds paid out around EUR 290 million to investors in the 2014 financial year. Clear improvement in consolidated earnings Despite the increased investments necessitated by the reorientation of the MPC Capital Group, the 2014 financial year ended with a positive consolidated result of EUR 4.2 million that was well up on the prior-year level. After adjustment for non-recurring effects, the operating result for 2014 came to EUR 4.6 million. Balance sheet quality improved noticeably, too: The equity ratio rose from 8 percent in the previous year to 21 percent in 2014. The Management Board of MPC Capital AG expects to see a further improvement in the results for the current 2015 financial year. MPC Capital AG takes over shares in shipping company Ahrenkiel Steamship In April 2014 MPC Münchmeyer Petersen & Co. GmbH ("MPC Holding") - the major shareholder of MPC Capital AG - merged the shipping activities of the three shipping companies C.F. Ahrenkiel, MPC Steamship and Thien & Heyenga to form "Ahrenkiel Steamship". In bringing together some 110 vessels under one corporate roof, it created one of the world's leading ship managers in the container sector. The commercial chartering is being managed in cooperation with Ahrenkiel Steamship's sister company Contchart. Only a few days ago, Ahrenkiel Steamship announced a further increase of its fleet by taking on eight container ships from the portfolio of HSH Nordbank. In a further move, the shareholders MPC Holding and Thien & Heyenga are transferring their shares of Ahrenkiel Steamship and Contchart to MPC Capital AG by way of a capital increase against contribution in kind. A major objective of this transaction is to enhance MPC Capital's expertise in the maritime investments asset class and, now that the market environment is on the mend, to gain access to the capital market in order to finance further growth. The takeover of Ahrenkiel Steamship raises the profile of MPC Capital in the shipping segment and it will now profit from the maritime sector's entire value chain. The transaction is due for completion by the end of March. Changes on the Management Board and Supervisory Board of MPC Capital AG As part of the repositioning of MPC Capital AG, there are also changes on the company's Management Board and Supervisory Board. Dr Axel Schroeder, who has led the company since it was founded in 1994 and has been Chief Executive Officer since the initial public offering in 2000, is switching to the Supervisory Board of MPC Capital AG with a view to taking over as Chairman. At the same time he is bolstering the operational management of MPC Holding. Ulf Holländer, previously Chief Financial Officer of MPC Capital AG until the year 2000, is to become the new CEO. The new CFO will be Constantin Baack, who spearheaded the integration of the shipping activities as Managing Director of Ahrenkiel Steamship. Constantin Baack has already held various key positions within the MPC Group since 2008. Prior to MPC Capital he worked, amongst others, for one of the "big four" accounting firms. The personnel changes are with effect from April 1, 2015. The election of Dr Axel Schroeder to the Supervisory Board of MPC Capital AG is to take place at the Annual General Meeting in June 2015. The founding shareholder of MPC Capital AG, Mr Axel Schroeder sen., and Dr Michael Lichtenauer will leave the Supervisory Board. Quotes Axel Schroeder senior, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of MPC Capital AG and Managing Partner of MPC Holding: "On behalf of the entire Supervisory Board I would like to thank the Management Board members for their unstinting efforts and huge personal commitment over the past few years. The successful repositioning would not have been possible without the resolve of the Management Board and its closely coordinated partnership with the Supervisory Board and the shareholders. As the principal shareholder of MPC Capital AG, we are proud to have helped smooth the way." Dr Axel Schroeder: "After twenty years at the helm, I am delighted to place the running of MPC Capital AG in the reliable hands of my long-standing Management Board colleague Ulf Holländer. Together, we have successfully repositioned the company in a difficult market environment. As a Supervisory Board member I will continue to lend my full support to him and the MPC team." Ulf Holländer: "Over the past few years we have built a group whose structure now ticks all the boxes for long-term market success. The operating and economic success that we enjoyed in 2014 gives us the necessary momentum. Our confidence is boosted further by the sure knowledge that we have a strong strategic investor at our side in MPC Holding." MPC Capital AG MPC Capital is an independent investment manager specialising in real asset investments and investment products, as well as their management and administration, in the three core areas Real Estate, Maritime Investment and Infrastructure. Since 1994 MPC Capital has launched a total of 326 investment projects with a total real-asset investment volume of more than EUR 18.9 billion. Contact MPC Capital AG Stefan Zenker Head of Investor Relations & Public Relations Tel. +49 40 38022-4347 Fax +49 40 38022-4878 e-mail: s.zenker@mpc-capital.com 02.03.2015 The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Media archive at www.dgap-medientreff.de and www.dgap.de --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Language: English Company: MPC Münchmeyer Petersen Capital AG Palmaille 75 22767 Hamburg Germany Phone: +49 (0)40 380 22-0 Fax: +49 (0)40 380 22-4878 E-mail: kontakt@mpc-capital.com Internet: www.mpc-capital.de ISIN: DE000A1TNWJ4 WKN: A1TNWJ Listed: Regulated Unofficial Market in Berlin, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Hanover, Munich, Stuttgart; Open Market (Entry Standard) in Frankfurt End of Announcement DGAP News-Service ---------------------------------------------------------------------------