Michael_Frenzel
Michael Frenzel
German businessman
Michael Frenzel (born 2 March 1947)[citation needed] is a German business executive. He was the chief executive officer of TUI AG from 1994 to 2013.[1][2][3] Since 2018 he is a World Travel and Tourism Council ambassador.[4] He studied law and holds a doctorate.[5]
Michael Frenzel | |
|---|---|
Michael Frenzel in 2014 | |
| Born | (1947-03-02) 2 March 1947 (age 77)[citation needed] |
| Nationality | German |
| Occupation | Business executive |
| Years active | 1981–2013 |
| Known for | CEO of TUI AG |
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Frenzel was born in Leipzig, at the time in Allied-occupied Germany, on 2 March 1947.[1] When aged nine, he escaped to West Germany with his father and lived in a refugee camp for three years.[1] He attended the Ruhr University Bochum, studying law.[5] He worked at the university as a scientific assistant, and graduated with a doctoral degree in law.[1]
He joined Westdeutsche Landesbank in 1981.[1]
In 1988 Frenzel joined Preussag AG as an executive responsible for trading and logistics.[1] He was promoted to the position of chief executive officer in January 1994.[1]
During his time as chief executive, Frenzel transformed the company from an industrial conglomerate into a travel services company.[2] He oversaw Preussag's acquisition of Hapag-Lloyd in 1997.[2] In 2000, he oversaw Preussag's £1.8 billion takeover of Thomson Travel.[6] The company also acquired the German tourism operator TUI in 1998 and the French firm Nouvelles Frontières.[1] After these acquisitions, Preussag was Europe's leading tourism operator.[1] In July 2002, Preussag was rebranded as TUI, short for Touristik Union International, the name of a subsidiary it had bought previously.[7]
Frenzel retired from TUI in February 2013, succeeded by Friedrich Joussen.[2] He became a World Travel and Tourism Council ambassador in 2018.[4]
He has served on the supervisory boards of several large German companies, including Volkswagen, Deutsche Bahn, and Norddeutsche Landesbank.[3][5] He is a member of the International Chamber of Commerce.[3]
Frenzel lives outside Hanover. He and his wife Gabi have three children.[6]
- Davidson, Andrew (2009). 1000 CEOs. Dorling Kindersley Limited. p. 223. ISBN 9781405352727.
- Bryant, Chris (31 July 2012). "Tui to appoint new chief executive". Financial Times. Frankfurt: The Financial Times Limited. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- Townsend, Abigail (27 March 2005). "Michael Frenzel: He wants to take you on holiday – but has no time to time to take one himself". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-12. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- Davies, Phil (28 June 2018). "WTTC selects industry leaders as ambassadors". travelweekly.co.uk. Travel Weekly. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- "Executive Profile, Background – Michael Frenzel". www.bloomberg.com. Bloomberg. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- Walters, Joanna (30 July 2000). "The holiday king who sent Cook's packing". the Guardian. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
- Calder, Simon (19 October 2017). "From Thomson Cruises to Marella: a strange tale of travel rebranding". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-12. Retrieved 17 October 2018.