Munich, Germany, 09/25/2018 Maximilian Kuss, Founder and Managing Partner of the Munich-based private equity firm EMH Partners, has been appointed to the SME Advisory Board at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. Since 1956, the so-called Mittelstandsbeirat has advised the sitting Federal Minister on all economic policy issues related to German SMEs. The selected members lend their expertise to sharpening the Minister’s focus on the position and interests of the German Mittelstand.
“Unfortunately, digitalization has not yet become mainstream in SMEs in Germany. For digital transformation to successfully take hold in these companies, proactive policy action that promotes innovation is crucial. I am very pleased that we as EMH are able to play a small part in this effort by contributing our expertise to the SME Advisory Board,” says Maximilian Kuss.
Middle class as a representative of the modern middle class.
The members appointed to the SME Advisory Board by Minister Altmaier represent the breadth and diversity of today’s SME sector, coming from the sectors of traditional small and medium-sized industrial enterprises, trades and services, IT, energy, medical technology, and creative industries. Stefan Vilsmeier, Founder and CEO of Brainlab AG, an EMH portfolio company, is also a member of the SME Advisory Board.
The entrepreneurial expertise is complemented by academic experts and a representative from KfW, a German government-owned development bank, as well as delegates from the Bundestag parliamentary groups. Altogether, the Advisory Board has 27 members.