Who Owns New Work Company?

Who now controls New Work SE?

The 2024–2025 takeover shifted New Work SE from public company to majority-held subsidiary, reshaping strategy and governance under a dominant media shareholder with long-term restructuring plans.

Burda Digital SE completed a public delisting tender, giving Hubert Burda Media near-complete control; revenues for New Work SE were about €300–310 million by late 2025 and the focus moved toward B2B e-recruiting and platform consolidation. See New Work Porter's Five Forces Analysis.

Lars Hinrichs founded openBC in August 2003, the precursor to New Work SE, holding the bulk of early equity alongside a small group of Hamburg tech backers. By the December 2006 IPO at 30 EUR per share—valuing the firm near 160 million EUR—Hinrichs remained the dominant shareholder.

Founder and origin

openBC launched in August 2003 as a professional networking site initiated by Lars Hinrichs in Hamburg.

Early ownership

Initial equity was concentrated among Hinrichs and a close circle of early backers from the local tech community.

IPO milestone

In December 2006 the company went public at 30 EUR per share, marking Europe’s first Web 2.0 IPO.

Post-IPO ownership mix

After listing, ownership combined founder equity with increasing institutional and investor interest.

2009 ownership shift

Hinrichs sold a 27.26 percent stake to Burda Digital GmbH in 2009 for about 48 million EUR, shifting control away from the founder-led era.

Strategic alignment

The Burda stake created a strategic partnership aligning New Work’s vision with a major media group’s digital diversification strategy.

Early agreements and structured transfers facilitated leadership transition and helped avoid protracted ownership disputes common in high-growth tech firms.

Key ownership facts

Critical points on founders and early ownership history relevant to New Work Company owner and New Work ownership.

• Lars Hinrichs founded openBC (now New Work SE) in August 2003.
• IPO took place December 2006 at 30 EUR per share, ~160 million EUR valuation.
• In 2009 Hinrichs sold 27.26% to Burda Digital for ~48 million EUR.
• Transition established a strategic partnership and marked the end of founder-led majority control.

See further corporate mission context in Mission, Vision & Core Values of New Work.

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Key events shaping New Work ownership include the 2006 IPO, Hubert Burda Media's initial stake in 2009, Burda crossing 50% in 2012, and the 2024–2025 delisting tender offer at 66.25 EUR per share that concentrated ownership further.

With the delisting implied market cap near 372 million EUR, public free float shrank markedly; prior notable institutional holders such as Union Investment Privatfonds GmbH and DWS Investment GmbH (each ~5% before delisting) reduced as shares were bought back and the company left Prime Standard.

Ownership concentration and strategic shift

Majority control by Burda Digital SE has enabled swift strategic moves, including cost reductions and a pivot toward B2B offerings like onlyfy by XING.

• Burda Digital SE holds more than 75% of shares, estimates near 80%
• Delisting tender priced at 66.25 EUR per share implies ~372 million EUR valuation
• Pre-delisting institutional stakes (Union Investment, DWS) were ~5% each
• Company moved off Prime Standard, reducing public disclosure obligations

For more on strategic implications and historical context of New Work ownership, see Growth Strategy of New Work.

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The Supervisory Board of New Work SE is chaired by Martin Weiss, with key members including Dr. Andreas Rittstieg; the Management Board is led by CEO Petra von Strombeck. Burda Digital SE holds a supermajority stake, giving it decisive control over governance and strategic decisions.

New Work SE follows a two-tier German SE governance model; despite one-share-one-vote, the supermajority ownership enables structural moves like the recent delisting and potential squeeze-out with minimal opposition. See further corporate strategy context in Marketing Strategy of New Work.

Board control and voting influence

Burda’s supermajority creates de facto control over annual and extraordinary shareholder votes.

• One-share-one-vote structure, no dual-class shares
• Burda owns over 75% of 5.62 million shares
• Supervisory Board chaired by Martin Weiss aligns with Burda strategy
• Limited activist investor activity due to skewed voting power

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Since early 2024 New Work’s ownership profile shifted sharply toward consolidation as Burda Digital SE moved to take the company private, reducing public float and moving trading to Freiverkehr or ending public trading in key segments by 2025; this has concentrated control and enabled a strategic refocus on core B2B offerings.

Financial and operational priorities shifted under majority ownership: E-Recruiting now represents over 70 percent of revenue, user base on XING stabilized near 22 million members, and capital actions served the delisting rather than market expansion.

Ownership consolidation

Burda’s acquisition and buybacks reduced the public free float and tightened control, positioning New Work for a private transformation or integration into a larger media group.

Strategic focus

Majority owners prioritized monetization of talent acquisition tools over broad social growth, steering resources to the E‑Recruiting unit to compete with global platforms.

Leadership and governance

Departure of long-term executive figures and tighter owner oversight suggest streamlined governance and potential full integration or sale as a consolidated B2B unit.

Market status

By 2025 New Work’s market presence is more focused on B2B revenue streams; details on revenue mix and ownership mechanics are discussed in Revenue Streams & Business Model of New Work.

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