Hans Peter Haselsteiner

Hans Peter Haselsteiner (born 1 February 1944, in Wörgl) is an Austrian industrialist and former politician.

Hans Peter Haselsteiner

Education edit

After his Matura, Hans Peter Haselsteiner studied business economics at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, from where he graduated in 1970.

Industrial background edit

After working some time as an accountant, he joined his father-in-law's contracting business, Isola & Lerchbaumer (later Ilbau) in 1972.[1] Through a series of takeovers, he expanded the company, now known as Strabag, into an international concern, which he controls through the holding company FIMAG (Finanz Industrie Management AG), of which he is the majority shareholder.[2][3]

  • At the beginning of the 70's, he became chairman of Ilbau AG
  • In 1998, he became chairman of Bau Holding.
  • In 2006 he became chairman of Strabag SE.
  • Haselsteiner is shareholder and director of the Rail Holding AG, which operates the WESTbahn train, a passenger train competing with ÖBB.[4]

June 2012, Haselsteiner announced he would resign his executive position in Strabag in June 2014.[5]

Political involvement edit

Hans Peter Haselsteiner was an MP in the Nationalrat from 1994 to 1998, under the banner of the Liberal Forum (LiF), of which he became club vice-chairman in 1996. Other positions included:

  • "Kammerrat" (consellor) of the Austrian Federal Chamber of technical Economics
  • member of the Austrian association of the Building industry since 1994 (chairman since 2002).

During the Austrian legislative elections in September 2008, Haselsteiner was responsible for finance for the Lif. He was also chairman of the support committee to the party leader Heide Schmidt, who was chosen after the resignation of Alexander Zach five days before the election. The poll was lost, and Schmidt and Haselsteiner retired from political activity later that year, announcing the failure of the LiF project.

In 2016 he funded a campaign against FPÖ politician Norbert Hofer, who candidated for President.[6]

He also gave financial contributions to NEOS Party in the Austrian national elections of 2017.[7]

Philanthropy edit

After the failure of the LiF, Haselsteiner supported the Institut für eine offene Gesellschaft (Institute for an open Society), founded by Heide Schmidt.

Haselsteiner is also deeply involved in helping homeless people. He promoted the construction of 16 social housing projects in Vienna.

His private foundation funds half of the budget of father Georg Sorschill's social center for elderly and needy people in Moldova (the other half is funded by the Austrian state).

In Summer 2008, he gave a substantial donation to save the refugee project of Ute Bock in Vienna.

Helicopter crash edit

In November 2021, Haselsteiner's helicopter (a Bell 429 registered OE-XCE) crashed during landing at Vienna Neustadt East Airport. The pilot, a 50-year-old from Carinthia, was killed. Haselsteiner had disembarked the helicopter in Semmering a few minutes before the crash.[8][9] The flight had originated in Bolzano, Italy.[10]

References edit

  1. ^ "Sommergespräche: Haselsteiner: "Ich bin auf unsere Wurzeln stolz" > Kleine Zeitung". Archived from the original on 2012-08-03. Retrieved 2012-06-08.
  2. ^ "Economist « DiePresse.com". Die Presse. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  3. ^ "Raiffeisenbank | Privatkunden" (PDF).
  4. ^ Capital injection dilutes SNCF's stake in Westbahn International Railway Journal 25 April 2013
  5. ^ "Haselsteiner geht Mitte 2014 als Strabag-Chef - derStandard.at". DER STANDARD. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  6. ^ "Haselsteiner legt bei Kampagne gegen Hofer nach".
  7. ^ Rechnungshof, Der österreichische. "Der Rechnungshof: Parteispenden". www.rechnungshof.gv.at. Archived from the original on 11 March 2015. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  8. ^ patrick.wammerl (2021-11-21). "Helikopter von Hans Peter Haselsteiner abgestürzt und explodiert". kurier.at (in German). Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  9. ^ Ranter, Harro. "Accident Bell 429 GlobalRanger OE-XCE, 21 Nov 2021". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2021-11-23.
  10. ^ patrick.wammerl (2021-11-22). "Orientierungslos? Ermittlungen nach Absturz von Haselsteiner-Hubschrauber". kurier.at (in German). Retrieved 2021-11-23.