Findeco GmbH is privately owned, founded and led by Franz Friesenbichler, a respected mining and minerals industry executive with 40 years of experience.

Most recently, prior to founding Findeco GmbH in April 2019, Mr. Friesenbichler retired from Imerys Group, the world leader in mineral-based specialties for industry. From 2012 to February 2019 he was in charge of global geology, exploration, mining, process engineering, operational excellence and industrial development for Imerys’ Filtration & Performance Additives Business Group. Prior to Imerys Mr. Friesenbichler worked 23 years for Rio Tinto, one of the world’s largest mining and metals groups.

He is also former long-term chairman and now vice chairman of the Austrian Mining and Steel Association in Vienna and sits on the executive board of EIT RawMaterials (the European Institute of Innovation & Technology for Raw Materials) in Berlin, Germany.

Friesenbichler holds a Master’s degree in Mine Surveying, Surface and Subsurface Damage by Mining, postgraduate degrees in Mining and Minerals Processing and an Executive MBA in Entrepreneurship.