Cofra Holding, the investment group controlled by the billionaire Brenninkmeijer family, has appointed former Schroders Capital chief executive Georg Wunderlin as its next CEO, marking the first time an executive from outside the family has been selected to lead the business, according to a report by Bloomberg.

Wunderlin, who led Schroders' private markets business until October, will take over from Boudewijn Beerkens in April 2027, subject to regulatory approval. He will also join Cofra's board as the group continues its expansion beyond managing the family's wealth.

The Swiss holding company oversees more than €40bn in assets spanning private equity, real estate and asset management. Founded around the Brenninkmeijer family's retail business C&A, Cofra has increasingly attracted external institutional capital, including commitments from sovereign wealth funds, US pension funds and LGT Capital Partners.

Wunderlin joined Schroders in 2019 and became CEO of its private markets division in 2024, overseeing a period in which assets under management approximately tripled. His appointment forms part of a wider leadership transition at Cofra, which has also named Henry Schirmer as its incoming chief financial officer and sixth-generation family member Florian Brenninkmeyer as chairman.