Guenther Fielmann founded Fielmann AG, an optics company in Germany that focuses on retail eyewear. He is also a major shareholder in the company and is its chief executive officer.
He is a state-approved master optometrist. He is ranked 437th among the list of global billionaires and 28th richest person in Germany. Today, he happens to be one of an inspiring name among the most successful businessmen.
Early Life:
Guenther Fielmann was born on September 17, 1939 in the village of Stafstedt in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. He was married and later divorced to Heike Fielmann. They have two children: Marc Fielmann and Sophie Luise Fielmann.
Guenther Fielmann’s Family:
Marc Fielmann:
Marc David Guenther Fielmann is the child of Guenther and his first wife Heike Fielmann. The couple separated about fifteen years ago and since then Marc has lived with his father. Guenther introduced Marc to the family business at an early age. He studied in a boarding school Salem during his High School after which he completed his graduation in London School of Economics and Political Science. He is supposedly Gunther’s successor in the family optical business. He is also expected to be more successful in the business as compared to his father.
Sophie Luise Fielmann:
She is the daughter of Gunther and his first wife Heike. She has been living with her mother ever since her parent’s separation. She, along with her brother and father hold 71.64% of the shares of Fielmann AG.
Career:
In 1972, Guenther opened his first optometry shop in Cuxhaven. Before implementing his business idea, he did a thorough research of the same in the market only to conclude that there was a large gap especially among the consumers who used eyewear in the health insurance payment scheme which was mandatory.
He then signed a contract with AOK Insurance in 1981 at Esens after which he set on to design 90 fashionable eyewear designs which created a revolution in the German spectacle market because before his eyewear launch, only 6 designs were available in exchange of the insurance allowance. By 1982, he opened a new shop in Kiel offering over 7000 designs. In 1994, Fielmann KG was transformed into Fielmann AG after which it went public.
Recognition:
Fielmann AG has always been the dream project of Guenther Fielmann. It has 687 branches alone in Germany. Apart from that, it has branches overseas in Luxembourg, Austria, Poland, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
By 2014, the company sold almost 7.6 million eyeglasses and had an approximate sales figure of €1.43 billion. This company is now listed in two indexes namely: German MDAX Index and German regional HASPAX index.
Guenther trains his optometrists in a castle that he bought from the state of Schleswig-Holstein and renovated.
Awards and Achievements
Guenther served as the Head of HR of Fielmann AG and then resigned from the same on March 31, 2005. He now serves as the Chairman as well as a Member of the Management Board of Fielmann AG.
Guenther is also passionate about organic farming and it is due to this passion that he plants a tree for each of his employee every year. He started this excellent idea in order to include the importance of greenery in the lives of the common people. In 2009, he planted his tree count reached one million and he planted that one-millionth tree along with Minister President Peter Harry Carstensen and Chancellor Angela Merkel.
In 2000, Gunther Fielmann was awarded the prestigious ‘Federal Cross of Merit First Class’ from the state of Schleswig-Holstein. Just after two years, he was bestowed with the title of ‘Professor’. Later in December, 2004, University of Kiel awarded him an honorary doctorate.