In Focus: Prof. Dr. Christian Aders, VRG Germany

Q. Who is Christian Aders?

A. I am Senior Managing Director and founder of ValueTrust. I worked as a partner at KPMG and Duff & Phelps (now Kroll). In 2007 I decided to devote myself to the establishment of Duff & Phelps in Germany and founded ValueTrust. Throughout my career in financial advisory, I specialized in advising clients on complex corporate situations. I am a Certified EFFAS Financial Analyst (CEFA), a Certified Valuation Analyst (CVA), and a member of the European Federation of Financial Analysts Societies, the Society of Investment Professionals in Germany (DVFA), and a founding member of the European Association of Consultants, Valuators and Analysts (EACVA) Germany. At DVFA, I co-chair the “Corporate Valuation” and “Fairness Opinion” working groups. I have authored many publications and regularly hold presentations and speeches regarding complex valuation matters. Since 2012, I am also an Honorary Professor for “the practice of business valuation and value-based management” at the LMU Munich.

Q. Who is ValueTrust?

A. ValueTrust, located in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, is a financial advisory firm offering a solution-oriented, practical, and sustainable approach to complex valuation and financial advisory services to support our clients’ goals in the best possible manner. We support our clients with an independent, experience- and partnership-based spirit in demanding corporate situations. We work side-by-side with executives and investors and accompany our clients as trustworthy partners through their financial decision-making processes. We aim to make every effort to achieve the best results for their business.

We always focus on our Values:

• We combine the financial, commercial, and technical expertise required to develop comprehensible, consistent, and sustainable results.
• Our one-team approach and collaborative work style, together with our clients, avoids the
  knowledge/control gap that often arises during or after projects.
• It is in our DNA to quickly yet comprehensively assess companies and their business models – thereby adding value from the beginning of a project.
• We find the right balance between accuracy and practicality in complex financial situations.

Continuous development of our people and our brand is key for us. Thus, we cooperate with leading academic and research partners and are members of selected industry networks. We continuously strive for best-in-class performance with our academic and research partners. We actively contribute to industry standards through our network and extend our international reach.

ValueTrust joined VRG in 2019. For us, this partnership means the ability to execute international transaction projects, access to broad valuation expertise, involvement of industry experts across all sectors, and exchange of local market information and trends.

 Q. What areas of your expertise contribute to the strength of VRG’s client service platform?

A. Our self-conception as Financial Experts is reflected in our service offerings covering a broad range of financial decision-makers tasks. We combine integrated Valuation and Financial Advisory with Strategic Corporate Finance and M&A Advisory, which sets us apart from our competitors.

Q. How do clients benefit from a relationship with VRG Germany, Austria, Switzerland?

A. With our offices in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and 50+ worldwide VRG offices, we deliver a solid, fast, and highly professional response to clients’ needs related to advisory and valuation. We are valuation experts who understand our industries and markets, and we provide a full range of quality, supportable services backed by superior expertise, focus, and technical competence. The continued globalization of business and M&A as a core growth strategy for many companies drives an undeniable need for independent valuations delivered by a firm offering local experts and global reach. Our international reach allows us to provide our multinational clients with a single source for expert, independent valuation support.