Max Josef Meier
Attacks at the Christmas party: the boss of car subscription provider Finn resigns after allegations of harassment
Max-Josef Meier, 38, founder and CEO of the Munich start-up Finn.Auto, was under pressure because of allegations of sexual harassment – and has now resigned from his post
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The founder of the Munich start-up Finn.Auto Josef Meier is resigning from his position as CEO after Capital made the allegations of sexual harassment public. The public prosecutor’s office is now also investigating the matter.
The Munich start-up Finn.Auto separates from its founder and CEO Max-Josef Meier after allegations of sexual harassment became public. According to information from the business magazine “Capital”, the decision was made on Wednesday evening at a crisis meeting of the Investor Advisory Board in Munich. A spokesman for Finn confirmed Meier’s immediate withdrawal, which was “consensual”. Maximilian Wühr, previously responsible for growth on the Management Board, will become the new CEO.
Max-Josef Meier spoke to Capital last week admitted the sexual harassment of nine employeesafter our editors had previously confronted him with the allegations.
Since the allegations of harassment were published, the pressure on Meier had increased – also because of possible legal consequences. On Wednesday it became known that the Munich I public prosecutor was investigating the matter. “As a result of the reporting, we have initiated proceedings on our part and are examining the events described from a criminal point of view,” confirmed senior public prosecutor Anne Leiding.
Sexual harassment in the office
The attacks happened a year and a half ago in the start-up’s office at a Christmas party, but only became public through a whistleblower.
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“According to the descriptions, I made abusive verbal statements and requests to several women that evening, in the presence of others, touched their buttocks and tried to kiss some of them without consent,” Meier said in an interview with “Capital”. He himself was heavily intoxicated that evening and has no memories of the incidents.
Investors gave Finn.Auto CEO Meier a second chance
According to Meier, the largest shareholders and employees were informed about his attacks in the week after the Christmas party. Meier also offered his resignation. Apparently it didn’t come to that. The investors – including the prominent start-up financiers HV Capital, Picus Capital and Heartcore – initially held on to him.
After the Christmas party, the company set up a so-called “Action Team” of six colleagues for internal processing, as documents show. Apparently they were satisfied with the results. After two and a half months of being banned from the office and agreeing on therapy and coaching, Meier got a second chance.
“The leadership, together with the action team and our board, ultimately came to the decision that I should come back to my role as CEO,” the Finn boss confirmed to “Capital”.
Meier is considered the driving force behind Finn.Auto and is the company’s largest shareholder with around 16 percent. Saying goodbye to him should therefore be a challenge from a business point of view. This is probably one of the reasons why the start-up is now strengthening its board of directors. In addition to the appointment of the new CEO Maximilian Wühr, the previous fleet boss Jürgen Lobach is to move up to the management board.
This article appeared first at this point at the business magazine “Capital”, which, like the star, belongs to RTL Germany.