Hans-Peter Wild

Hans-Peter Wild (born 16 June 1941) is a Swiss businessman and lawyer. Until 2014, he was the owner and chairman of Rudolf Wild GmbH & Co. KG, which, according to company information, is the world's largest private manufacturer of natural flavour ingredients for food products and beverages.[2]

Hans-Peter Wild
Born (1941-06-16) 16 June 1941
Heidelberg, Germany
NationalitySwiss
EducationUniversity of Mannheim
OccupationBusinessman
Known forFormer owner, Rudolf Wild GmbH & Co
Net worthUS$2.7 billion (May 2017)[1]
Children2
Parent(s)Rudolf Wild

Biography

Hans-Peter Wild was born in Heidelberg in 1941, the son of Rudolf Wild, who founded the Wild company in 1931.[1] He passed the first state examination as a lawyer in Heidelberg with distinction.[3] He completed a degree in business studies in Mannheim, majoring in fiscal law and auditing.[3] He completed a PhD entitled "The market-dominating company under French law" at the Faculty of Law at the University of Mannheim.[3] After graduation, he worked at the Diersch & Schröder group of companies for four years as managing director, being responsible for the company's mineral oil, chemistry and shipping activities.[1] In 1974, he joined his parents' company - with the aim of expanding the world markets with Capri Sun and taking the company global.[3]

Social involvement

Wild is president of the "Leonie Wild Charitable Foundation", which he initiated together with his mother Leonie Wild in 1997. The trust helps citizens in need and is involved in social and cultural projects, particularly in Eppelheim and in the Heidelberg region. In addition to its support for the construction of the new Heidelberg Children's Hospital, it has also been supporting the "Ballschule" ball-sports academy at the University of Heidelberg since 2001. The Ballschule provides supplementary sports classes for children in the first and second grade (source: Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung, June 22, 2006). Wild also assists the University of Heidelberg through donations, thus continuing the tradition started by his father Rudolf Wild. Wild gave $16.5 million to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation in 2016.[4]

Academic involvement

He donated a professorship to the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne. In the end of 2001 the IMD Lombard Odier Business Center was extended by the Wild Group Chair for Family Business.

Sports involvement

In October 2007, Wild was instrumental in the formation of the Wild Rugby Academy, an institution aimed at developing the sport of rugby union in Germany.[5]

He also financially supports the Heidelberger RK, one of only two professional rugby clubs in Germany, in a sport otherwise fully amateur.[6]

In May 2017, he became chairman of the French rugby union club Stade Français.[7]

The Rugbystreit in German Rugby was a controversy in Rugby union which pitched the German Rugby Federation against Hans-Peter Wild and Wild Rugby Academy. Wild was sponsor of Heidelberger RK ("HRK"), the country’s leading club side at the time, and later the Germany national rugby union team.[8] He set up and funded WRA to develop rugby in this club side and the country headed by former German international Robert Mohr.[9]

Disagreements first came to a head in the week preceding a home loss of Germany against the touring Chile side on 25 November 2017.[10] The match counted for World Rankings points, but none of the German players of the preceding two international games of the autumn series were available. A new side had to be assembled by the German federation within a couple of days.[11]

There was no thaw in time for the 2018 Rugby Europe Championship. Pablo Lemoine was appointed as a new national coach.[12] He led a team devoid of most players associated with HRK or the WRA.

In 2018 Wild mostly abandoned his German activities, except for helping the national side to succeed in November 2018 in the final repechage tournament for the 2019 Rugby World Cup – play-off qualifications.[13] His HRK side had qualified for the European Rugby Challenge Cup after a successful campaign in the European Rugby Continental Shield. This success was clinched in an aggregate victory against Romanian club side Timișoara Saracens[14] only for Wild’s team to be disqualified due a conflict of interest in conjunction with his ownership of top French club side Stade Francais (acquired in the year before.) [15] After this set-back Stade Francois became the sole focus. Intermittently, Wild had looked at South African Pro14 franchise Southern Kings to expand his rugby interests.[16] However, his financial support for the repechage helped make the hiring of coach Mike Ford possible, assisted among others by former English international Mouritz Botha.[17] And like in the two preceding internationals, all German qualified players were available for selection.[18]

Awards

The Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg made Wild an honorary senator in recognition of his many years of service in 1996.[3] The town of Eppelheim made him an honorary citizen in June 2006 for his entrepreneurial achievements and his many years of commitment to the employees of WILD GmbH & Co. KG and the social facilities in Eppelheim and the region.

Publications
  • Das marktbeherrschende Unternehmen im französischen Recht (The market-dominating company under French law), dissertation, Mannheim 1969
  • Capri-Sonne. Die Faszination einer Weltmarke, (Capri-Sun. The fascination of a global brand) Frankfurt am Main 2001 ISBN 3-89843-036-7

References
  1. "Hans Peter Wild". Forbes. Retrieved 16 May 2017.
  2. on Financial Times, 22 August 2017
  3. Hans-Peter Wild, on bloomberg.com, May 25, 2017.
  4. ‘‘Capri Sun innovator gives $16 million to Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation The Washington Post, published: 07 January 2016. accessed: 26 September 2018
  5. (in German) HÜber die WRA, on wildrugbyacademy.de, accessed: 25 May 2017.
  6. (in German) Getränke-Hersteller gegen Gold-Händler Offenbach-Post, published: 28 May 2011. accessed: 21 August 2011
  7. (in French) Hans-Peter Wild choisi pour reprendre le Stade Français, on lequipe.fr, 24 May 2017.
  8. The Guardian How juice drink billionaire bankrolled Germany’s Rugby World Cup charge
  9. The Times Stade Francais’ billionaire owner aims to grow German rugby
  10. Americas Rugby News Chile Record Big Win Over Germany
  11. The Telegraph German rugby expansion stuck at a crossroads as players threaten to go on strike
  12. Americas Rugby News Pablo Lemoine to coach Germany
  13. Irish Times Juice billionaire’s backing runs dry for Germany’s RWC bid
  14. Wales Online Heidelberger RK join crack clubs like Clermont Auvergne, Northampton and Harlequins in the European Challenge Cup
  15. (in French) L’Equipe Hans-Peter Wild choisi pour reprendre le Stade Français, on lequipe.fr, 24 May 2017.
  16. Sport24 No saviour in sight for Kings as German billionaire bails
  17. Rugbypass Former Bath and Toulon coach Mike Ford on verge of shock international return
  18. Rugbypass
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