STRABAG SE CEO Thomas Birtel on the current situation in Ukraine
To put it bluntly: STRABAG strongly condemns this war of aggression by Russia on Ukraine and will support all initiatives that serve to help the people affected in Ukraine and restore the peace in the region.Our primary concern as an employer is for our many colleagues who are affected by the hostilities. We have deep roots in the countries where we operate and therefore want to help locally as well. I understand that aid efforts are already underway at our operations in Poland and the Czech Republic, providing supplies and transport where they are now most needed. In this way, we have been able to bring family members of our staff to safety and provide them with the basic necessities. We have also been able to arrange for shelter accommodation in Moldova through our long-standing partner organisation Concordia.
Speaking out about our attitude to this war is important to us, and we want to be just as open about our shareholder structure. The majority of shares in STRABAG SE are held by the main Austrian shareholders, the Haselsteiner family and Uniqa/Raiffeisen. They share ownership through a syndicate agreement with Russian company MKAO “Rasperia Trading Limited”, which holds 27.8 % of the shares. Rasperia is owned by Russian industrialist Oleg Deripaska with a stake of less than 50 %. According to Austrian company law, the Management Board manages the company independently, i.e. free of instructions from the Supervisory Board and company shareholders.
Our immediate thoughts, however, are with all the people who currently find themselves in a precarious situation or even in mortal danger. Like you, I also hope for a swift de-escalation, an end to the fighting and a return to peace.