SES Headquarters Appoints Four New Department Heads

Austrian shopping center operator SES Spar European Shopping Centers has promoted seasoned employees from its own ranks to management positions, effective 1 January 2023: Petra Hemetsberger has taken over as the Head of Asset Management, Roland Gruber is the new Head of the Construction Department, and Nina Wolfgruber, is responsible for the newly created area of Business Process Management. On 1 November 2022, responsibility for the Legal Department was placed in the hands of Thomas Frauenlob.

Petra Hemetsberger (37) – Head of Asset Management
Petra Hemetsberger, who has a degree in economics, started her career at SES in 2011 as an asset manager and contact person for external investors. Within that capacity, she gained a wealth of experience as a project manager for large, international equity financing projects undertaken by SES, and she conducted due diligence processes for real estate transactions as well as real estate appraisals. The certified asset manager completed a bachelor's degree in law and economics, while simultaneously working, and graduated from the International Real Estate Business School (IREBS) in Munich. After taking two years of parental leave, Petra Hemetsberger returned to SES in 2021. She has taken over as Head of Asset Management, succeeding SES CFO Johannes Köth, who had been in charge of the department since 2011.

Roland Gruber (62) – Head of the Construction Department
Roland Gruber, a native of Salzburg, began his career with the Spar Group in 2000 as the Head of Building Technology at EUROPARK Salzburg. In 2009, Roland Gruber relocated to the headquarters of SES and has been responsible for the Building Technology Department ever since. As an experienced HVAC specialist, he brings a great deal of technical expertise to the table and can look back on a number of successful stints in plant construction and large-scale projects. The trained technical draftsman developed, among other things, the patented dynamic fresh air supply for SES, which is used for the air conditioning of the Group’s shopping centers. In his role as a department head, Roland Gruber has assumed overall responsibility for the construction project management of all new and refurbished SES shopping centers and retail parks in Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Italy, and Hungary. He succeeds Alexander Eck, who joined the SES Management Board as Chief Development Officer on 1 January 2023.

Nina Wolfgruber (43) – Head of Business Process Management
As the Head of Business Process Management, a role that Nina Wolfgruber took on effective 1 January 2023, she is responsible for all projects involving the digitalization and standardization of processes in the six countries in which SES operates, creating a significant new interface in the development and implementation of IT projects. The native of Salzburg began her career as a professional golfer in top-level international sports after graduating from the Federal Commercial Academy. After professional positions as an authorized signatory and store operator, Nina Wolfgruber launched her career at SES as the Head of Office Management and the Assistant to the Center Manager at EUROPARK. In 2017, she transferred to the SES headquarters and took on the role of Assistant to the Center Management Division Manager. Since 2021, the certified project manager managed numerous special projects as the Assistant to the COO. In addition, Nina Wolfgruber completed the master’s program in Criminal Law, Business Criminal Law, and Criminology at the University of Continuing Education Krems in 2018.

Thomas FRAUENLOB (35) – Head of the Legal Department
Thomas Frauenlob took over the management of the Legal Department on 1 November 2022 and is responsible for all legal matters within the SES Group. Thomas Frauenlob graduated from the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg with a degree in law as well as a bachelor’s degree in law and economics. In 2012, he joined the legal department of SES Spar European Shopping Centers, where – with the exception of a short-term interruption due to a court internship in 2015 – he has been able to gain a wealth of experience. His extensive expertise has also been used to advise the teams working at the 30 SES shopping destinations, located across six countries, on legal matters.