GFA HISTORY
Under the headline “Your purpose – Our expertise”, a new GFA GROUP brand is launched to emphasise the broad range of technical and management competencies which the members of GFA GROUP are able to bundle to provide tailored services for their clients.
GFA Holding AG becomes the central service hub for all GFA GROUP members.
H2Global Advisory GmbH is closed.
The GFA campus in Hamburg-Volksdorf grows further with new buildings to host all but one Hamburg-based GFA companies and their staff. GFA Certification GmbH remains at its previous premises in Hamburg’s city center.
GKW Consult GmbH with its headquarters in Mannheim joins GFA GROUP, Managing Directors are Christoph Theune, followed by Christoph Grass in 2024, and Patrick Kaminsky.
Having reached its objectives successfully, H2Global Advisory GmbH hands over its mandate and the entire team to the H2Global Foundation. Daniel Wahby becomes the Managing Director of H2Global Advisory GmbH.
GFA Holding AG together with the five co-creators of the H2Global Mechanism founds H2Global Advisory GmbH to advance the market ramp-up for green hydrogen. The Managing Directors are initially Markus Exenberger and Timo Bollerhey. In cooperation with the Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Action and the private sector, the company sets up the industry-based H2Global Foundation and its subsidiary the HINTCO GmbH with Timo Bollerhey as Managing Director.
GFA Consulting Group GmbH invests in the start-up TolaData GmbH in Berlin as its majority shareholder. The company is managed by Joe Bennet and Linda Kleemann. Yazeed Sheqem takes over from Joe Bennet in 2023. (TolaData leaves GFA GROUP in 2025).
Klaus Altemeier and Christoph Schaefer-Kehnert retire as CEOs from GFA Holding AG and GFA Consulting Group GmbH and hand over to Anja Desai and Ilona Schadl.
Klaus Altemeier and Christoph Schaefer-Kehnert retire as Managing Directors from GFA Holding AG and GFA Consulting Group GmbH and hand over to Anja Desai and Ilona Schadl.
Ulrich Theuerkauf takes over the management of GFA Entec AG.
GFA Consulting Group GmbH together with the Hamburg Institute for Vocational Education and Training and the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce founds TVET Hamburg GbR.
GFA Climate & Infrastructure (Pty.) Limited in Cape Town, South Africa, is founded. Jonathan First and Daniel Wahby are its Managing Directors (closed in 2025).
GFA Consulting Group GmbH becomes a signatory of the UN Global Compact.
GFA Consulting Group GmbH signs the letter of intent to officially become a member of the Make IT Alliance, an initiative of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
The Cotton Expert House Africa gGmbH, managed by Jan Sass and Christoph Kaut, is founded in joint-venture with the Michael Otto Foundation for Sustainability (Cotton Expert House closes in 2019).
HEAT GmbH, based in Königstein, becomes a new member in the group of GFA companies. Managing Directors are Dietram Oppelt and Christoph Schaefer-Kehnert, who hands-over to Daniel Wahby in 2019.
GFA Holding AG sells its shares in GFA Public GmbH to the managing directors of the company.
GFA Entec AG with Klaus Altemeier as Managing Director and Projekt-Consult GmbH managed by Thomas Hentschel and Moritz Lörcher join the group of GFA companies.
GFA Holding AG sells its shares in GFA Public GmbH to the managing directors of the company.
HASPA BGM’s gradual exit as shareholder in GFA Beteiligungs GmbH until 2019 is initiated.
The GFA Campus in Hamburg-Volksdorf expands again with a newly built office block.
GFA Certification GmbH is founded in Hamburg with Carsten Huljus as Managing Director. Jörn Ackermann takes over the management of the company in 2016.
GFA ENVEST GmbH is integrated into GFA Consulting Group GmbH to become its „Climate Competence Center“.
GFAM GmbH (Global Forest Asset Management), a joint-venture with Montan Alternative Investment, is founded. Managing Directors are Nils von Schmidt und Eckbrecht von Grone (closed in 2013).
Günter Schmidt and founder Johannes Lagemann retire as Managing Directors of GFA Holding AG and GFA Consulting Group GmbH.
Klaus Altemeier, Christoph Schaefer-Kehnert and Heiko Weißleder form the Management Board at GFA Holding AG and GFA Consulting Group GmbH.
As part of a management buy-out the HASPA BGM becomes shareholder in the GFA Beteiligungs GmbH.
GFA Consulting Group GmbH moves its Bonn office to Berlin.
GFA Public GmbH is founded in Berlin, Managing Directors are Friedemann Christ und Florian Niedlich.
Heiko Weißleder becomes Managing Director of GFA Holding AG and GFA Consulting Group GmbH.
GFA Envest GmbH is founded. Managing Directors are Joachim Schnurr, joined by Jasper Lauert in 2009.
GFA Terra Systems GmbH, GFA Management GmbH and GFA Medica GmbH are merged into GFA Consulting Group GmbH. Managing Directors are Klaus Altemeier, Johannes Lagemann, Christoph Schaefer-Kehnert and Günter Schmidt.
Thalys Conseil S.A.R.L. is founded in Rabat, Morocco, with Mehdi Zirari and from 2012 Daniel Wahby as its Managing Directors (closed in 2020).
Thalys Conseil S.A.R.L. is founded in Rabat, Morocco, with Mehdi Zirari and from 2012 Daniel Wahby as its Managing Directors.
B.I.S. Business Intelligence Systems GmbH, today GFA B.I.S. GmbH, is founded in Bonn with Harald Litterscheid as Managing Director.
GFA Holding AG withdraws from GFA Infrastruktur und Umweltschutz GmbH. The remaining shareholders rename the company GFI Umwelt GmbH.
The Hamburg-based Luso Consult Gesellschaft für internationale Entwicklung mbH together with its specialised group member companies merge with GFA Holding AG, GFA Agrar GmbH and GFA IMC into GFA Holding AG, GFA Terra Systems GmbH and GFA Management GmbH – Bernd Kadura, Eberhard Bärenz, Frank Sandvoss, Alois Große-Rüschkamp become also Managing Directors within GFA GROUP.
Company founder Johannes Lagemann withdraws from operational management at GFA Terra Systems GmbH.
Christoph Schaefer-Kehnert becomes Managing Director of GFA Terra Systems GmbH.
GFA SysCom GmbH is founded with Andreas Hentzien as Managing Director.
The new buildings for the company head offices in Hamburg-Volksdorf are completed. The workspace accommodates around 120 employees of GFA Holding AG, GFA Terra Systems GmbH, GFA Management GmbH, GFA Medica GmbH and GFA SysCom GmbH.
Bernhard Riggers retires as Managing Director at GFA Agrar GmbH. He hands over to Günter Schmidt.
GFA LUB GmbH becomes GFA Holding GmbH which becomes GFA Holding AG in the following year with Johannes Lagemann as director.
GFA LUB GmbH becomes GFA Holding GmbH. In the following year GFA Holding GmbH becomes GFA Holding AG with Johannes Lagemann as Managing Director.
GFA Medica International Health Consulting GmbH is founded in Munich (later GFA Medica GmbH) with Christoph Heuschkel and Johannes Lagemann at the Management Board – Johannes Lagemann hands over to Heiko Weißleder in 2003.
The employees of GFA Agrar GmbH found the GFA Mitarbeiter-Beteiligungsgesellschaft GbR and acquire 10% shares. In 1998 GFA Mitarbeiter-Beteiligungsgesellschaft GbR becomes a shareholder of GFA Holding AG.
Nico van Thienhoven becomes Managing Director of GFA International Management Consulting GmbH.
Bernhard Riggers joins the Managing Board of GFA Agrar GmbH.
Klaus Altemeier joyns the Managing Board of GFA International Management Consulting GmbH.
GFA Agrar GmbH is mandated by the German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forestry (BML) as General Agent for its technical cooperation programme in the agricultural sectors in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). For this mandate GFA Agrar GmbH opens an office in Bonn. Subsequently GFA Agrar GmbH was also awarded to organise and manage the international "East-West Agrarforum" at the Grüne Woche in Berlin for more then 10 Years.
Klaus Altemeier becomes Managing Director of GFA International Management Consulting GmbH.
GFA Agrar GmbH is mandated by the German Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Forestry (BML) as General Agent for its technical cooperation programme in the agricultural sectors in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). For this mandate GFA Agrar GmbH opens an office in Bonn. Subsequently GFA Agrar GmbH was also awarded to organise and manage the international "East-West Agrarforum" at the Grüne Woche in Berlin for more then 10 Years.