Farewell to Peter Dussmann

26.09.2013 — Berlin Entrepreneur dies at 74

The entrepreneur Peter Dussmann died in the early hours of September 26 2013 at the age of 74 following a long illness. The death occurred at a hospital in Monaco due to complications following a massive stroke in October 2008. Peter Dussmann would have been 75 on October 5th. He is mourned by his wife, Catherine von Fürstenberg-Dussmann, his family and the 60,000 employees of the Dussmann Group. He was a role model for many as an entrepreneur, as an exceptional personality and as the founder of a company with an impressive success story worldwide. 

“It started in May 1963 as a good idea, cleaning private apartments in Munich. Over the following 50 years, Peter Dussmann built it into one of the largest private multi-service providers worldwide. His focus was always on the needs of his clients, of his employees and of society in general. The board of trustees will remember him as an outstanding personality with exceptional creative drive” said board of trustees member, Wolfgang Clement.  

Peter Dussmann made a name as a patron of the arts. Following the opening of the German borders, he invested a great deal of energy in preserving historical monuments in Eastern Germany and for many years, was chairman of the association of friends and sponsors of the State Opera Unter den Linden Berlin.  

In September 2007, Peter Dussmann withdrew from day-to-day operations. In December 2010, a foundation assumed management of the Dussmann Group and the chairmanship of the board of trustees was taken on by Catherine von Fürstenberg-Dussmann. Since then, she has managed the Dussmann Group in the spirit of her husband together with the executive board. The management foundation established sound structures that secure the long-term future of the Dussmann Group. The company will continue to operate under the brand name Dussmann Group and as Dussmann Stiftung & Co. KGaA. The management of the Group remains in experienced hands: the members of the board of trustees headed by Catherine von Fürstenberg-Dussmann as the owner representative and the executive board ensure continuity.     

Vita Peter Dussmann
Peter Dussmann was born on October 5th 1938 in Rottweil. Following high school, an apprenticeship in retailing and working in sales at a number of companies, he founded a small service company in May 1963, Peter Dussmann Heimpflegedienst. The company grew quickly and consistently and is today one of the largest multi-service providers worldwide. Core competences are facility management, including the whole range of facility services, catering and nursing and care of the elderly. From 1966 to 2002, he managed the Dussmann Group as chairman of the executive board. He was an active member of the ASU - the association of independent entrepreneurs – and was a member of the board for many years. Peter Dussmann received the German order of merit, the Bundesverdienstkreuz. In 2003, he was awarded the Karl-Friedrich-Schinkel-Ring prize for monument preservation in recognition of his role in preserving historical monuments in Eastern Germany. In 2003, Peter Dussmann began to withdraw from the day-to-day operations of the Dussmann Group and concentrated on his chairmanship of the supervisory board. In October 2008 he suffered a massive stroke in Rome and withdrew from all offices and the public realm. Peter Dussmann died on September 26, 2013 at the age of 74 in Monaco following a long illness.    

About the Dussmann Group 
With over 60,000 employees in 21 countries the Dussmann Group offers services for people, by people. The largest company division, Dussmann Service, provides facility services from a single source: technical services, catering, security and reception services, cleaning, commercial management and energy management. The second largest company division, Kursana provides nursing and care for a total of 13,600 seniors. Dussmann also operates the KulturKaufhaus in Berlin and Dussmann KulturKindergärten offering in-house company childcare. In 2012, the Dussmann Group posted aggregate sales of 1.73 billion Euros and is one of the largest private multi-service providers worldwide.