I would like to contribute my experience in a meaningful way!
Christof Kohns is a man of numbers – nobody can fool him. When it comes to annual reports, for example, he knows exactly where to look – often between the lines, in the small print or simply where something is not said. It is precisely this expertise, which Kohns has built up over several decades as a partner and managing director in the auditing and financial sector, that makes him a real diamond for companies and their supervisory boards.
The business graduate, qualified tax consultant and auditor is just as perfectly equipped for his supervisory board activities as he is for his jobs in the large consulting and financial companies for which he has worked to date, for example as a partner at KPMG or as CFO of cardtech Card & POS Service GmbH.
Following his “Qualified Supervisory Board” certification, Kohns passed the examination to become a Financial Expert Supervisory Board member in the same year, 2022. Kohns retired from active professional life in April and has since been in initial discussions regarding supervisory board mandates. We spoke to him about his future plans as a Supervisory Board member.
What is your motivation for your work on the Supervisory Board?
“For me, becoming a member of the Supervisory Board is a logical consequence of my professional career. I have built up an enormous amount of experience and would like to contribute this in a meaningful way. As an auditor, I often gave presentations at supervisory board meetings, both at large public limited companies and at larger family companies. Even back then, I thought that a little more expertise in the area of finance would be good for many a supervisory board. To put it bluntly, cases like the Wirecard scandal should no longer be allowed to happen. What’s more, I myself was already Chairman of the Advisory Board of a company of which I later became Managing Director. Interest and curiosity in getting to know new companies and business models are also important.”
What motivated you to become certified as a qualified supervisory board member?
“If you look at my professional career and my qualifications, it becomes clear that I basically do exactly what I have learnt. I build up knowledge and use it profitably. There was therefore no question in my mind that I should also qualify for a role such as Supervisory Board member. I actually learnt a lot more on the Management Alliance courses, and as Gabriele Bornemann skilfully conveys the knowledge didactically, the exams were no problem at the end. The certification is also an additional door opener for a mandate, especially as the Management Alliance has a very good standing. I would now like to contribute my expertise as a supervisory board member to audit committees at larger companies and also in family-run companies.”
In your opinion, what are currently the biggest challenges in Supervisory Board work?
“Sustainability is an important topic, supply chains, resilience and digitalisation. I still see room for improvement in the annual financial statements; they could be more transparent. Sometimes too much is written and too little is actually said in the end. As a member of the Supervisory Board, I would definitely encourage this.
In addition to audit committees for large public limited companies, I see my expertise primarily in family companies. I have extensive consulting experience in this area and know how to deal with issues such as succession planning or the introduction of external managing directors. In addition to expertise, this requires a great deal of sensitivity. There are also many aspects to keep an eye on at the corporate law level. A third party in whom people have confidence can be enormously helpful here.”
What do you consider to be the most important success factors in supervisory board work? Or to put it another way: when is a supervisory board member doing a good job?
“A supervisory board must have very good technical expertise in order to be able to communicate with the management board on an equal footing. The roles must be clear and must also be adhered to. In my previous jobs, I have occasionally encountered supervisory board members who thought they were the better board member – and I think that’s problematic. When doing a self-check at the end of a supervisory board year, I would ask myself questions such as: Have I introduced sensible content into the process? Am I the desired sparring partner for the Management Board? And despite all my commitment to the company’s cause, have I still maintained the necessary critical distance?”