Markus Müller-Drexel, CEO of Interseroh+ GmbH and Managing Director of Interzero Holding, passed away unexpectedly in Berlin on 18 January. Interzero and the BDE Federal Association of the German Waste, Water and Recycling Industry have reacted with sadness and dismay.
„The news of Markus Müller-Drexel's death comes as an incredible shock,“ says Dr Axel Schweitzer, Chairman and shareholder of the Interzero Group. „We have lost a central figure in our company, a pioneer of packaging recycling in Germany and a clever consultant. And above all: I am losing a friend.“ „MMD“, as he was known not only in the company but also in the industry due to his long name, was part of the company for over 30 years and played a key role in building up and managing the licence business. From 1992 to 1997, he managed the southern branch of the former Inteseroh Dienstleistungs GmbH in Munich. In 1997, Müller-Drexel moved to the head office in Cologne, where he took over the management of the operational business. On 1 May 2002, Markus Müller-Drexel was appointed Managing Director of Interseroh Dienstleistungs GmbH. From 2016, he also took on the role of CEO of ALBA Services Holding.
As founding Managing Director of Interseroh+, he translated his idea of a „recycling alliance“ into reality from January 2022 - an association of companies that want to do more than just fulfil the licensing obligations for packaging, but actually close the raw material cycles. Since August 2023, Müller-Drexel has also been one of the Managing Directors of Interzero Holding GmbH & Co. KG, the management company of the entire Interzero Group.
Markus Müller-Drexel is recognised in the industry as one of the best experts and managers of integrity in the licensing business. He has been involved in numerous committees, including as a member of the Executive Committee of the Federal Association of the German Waste Management and Water Industry (BDE), as a member of the Board of Trustees of the Climate Economy Foundation and as Chairman of the Environment and Energy Committee of the Cologne Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
BDE Managing Director Dr Andreas Bruckschen: „Markus Müller-Drexel led one of the most labour-intensive and challenging specialist areas, that of dual systems, for many years not only with exemplary professional expertise, but also with a high level of interpersonal commitment. The association, its members and the entire industry have lost a pioneer and one of its brightest minds.“
Sources: Interzero/BDE
