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Michael Frenzel

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Michael Frenzel
portrait photograph of middle aged German man wearing a suit
Michael Frenzel in 2014
Born (1947-03-02) 2 March 1947 (age 77)[citation needed]
NationalityGerman
OccupationBusiness executive
Years active1981–2013
Known forCEO of TUI AG

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]

Early life and education

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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]

Career

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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]

Personal life

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Frenzel lives outside Hanover. He and his wife Gabi have three children.[6]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Davidson, Andrew (2009). 1000 CEOs. Dorling Kindersley Limited. p. 223. ISBN 9781405352727.
  2. ^ a b c d Bryant, Chris (31 July 2012). "Tui to appoint new chief executive". Financial Times. Frankfurt: The Financial Times Limited. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  3. ^ a b c 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.
  4. ^ a b Davies, Phil (28 June 2018). "WTTC selects industry leaders as ambassadors". travelweekly.co.uk. Travel Weekly. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  5. ^ a b c "Executive Profile, Background – Michael Frenzel". www.bloomberg.com. Bloomberg. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  6. ^ a b Walters, Joanna (30 July 2000). "The holiday king who sent Cook's packing". the Guardian. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  7. ^ 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.