About us

About Funding Solutions

Funding Solutions was launched by pension and investment experts in 2018. Today, we service numerous international corporations (MNCs) with structuring, administration and oversight of their pension and investment operations. Funding Solutions has established the concept of pension buyout, i.e. transfer of pension liabilities, using local adaptions and realized the largest pension buyout transactions in Germany.

Our Team

The Funding Solutions team has profound expertise in design, implementation and oversight of tailored pension and investment solutions.

Magnus Schmagold is one of the co-founders of Funding Solutions. He has 15+ years of experience in the German pension market and led many successful projects around the establishment of DC pension plans and management of pension assets from midcap to DAX-listed companies. Prior to his current position Magnus served as Senior Principal and Business Leader of Mercer’s Delegated Investment Solutions business in Central Europe and in various positions within the institutional investment management branch of Fidelity International. He studied business administration in Göttingen and Sydney (Dipl. Kfm.) and holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) with a focus on pension management of the University of Münster. He is also a certified investment analyst (CEFA and CIIA) from the Deutsche Vereinigung für Finanzanalyse und Asset Management (DVFA e.V.) in Frankfurt am Main.

Felix Siegle is one of the co-founders of Funding Solutions. He has over 15 years of experience in the pension industry, working with regulated as well as unregulated institutional investors from mid-sized up to DAX corporates in Germany. His background covers all vehicles for German pension promises as well as coverage of the full investment process from strategy to implementation. Felix started his career in 2009 within Mercer’s German investment consulting business, ultimately as Head of Implemented Consulting in Frankfurt. He studied business administration with a focus on finance in Bruchsal and Barcelona (Bachelor of Arts). Additionally, he is a CFA charterholder and member of the German CFA society.

Greta-Lisa Frey has more than 17 years experiences in the field of occupational pensions, asset funding, implementing and monitoring governance processes. Greta has studied “International Finance and Law” in Frankfurt am Main and London (Dipl.Kfr FH). In addition, she is a certified investment analyst (CEFA and CIIA) from the German Association for Financial Analysis and Asset Management (DVFA e.V.) in Frankfurt am Main. Prior to her current position, Greta was responsible for clients in the institutional investment management branch of Invesco and Fidelity International.

Roland Wiesmann has 10+ years of experience in asset management and business development, working with institutional investors and financial intermediaries. He works as a director focused on investment management, primarily within the alternative segment. Prior to his current position he was Business Developer at Allianz Global Investors, focusing on expanding the firm’s private markets business with Allianz’ insurance investors. In previous roles with Allianz Global Investors and Aquila Capital he was responsible for developing relationships and partnerships with German investors and intermediaries. Roland received a BSc in Economics at the University of Hamburg and is a CFA and CAIA charterholder.

Martin Knappstein has more than 25 years of experience in occupational pension schemes, with a focus on tax and balance sheet considerations as well as insurance products. Prior to joining Funding Solutions, Martin was in various positions with a public insurer, senior manager at PwC, as well as a senior consultant at HEUBECK AG. Martin studied business administrations at the FH Cologne as well as law at the FeU Hagen and the WWU Münster. Furthermore, he gained further qualifications as an investment analyst (CEFA, CIIA) at the DVFA e.V. in Frankfurt. He is a certified tax advisor since 2017.

Mischa Erbe started his career 2000 as an actuary at Dr. Dr. Heissmann GmbH in Wiesbaden (now a part of Willis Towers Watson Germany). In 2007 he joined PWC as Manager German Pension Schemes. From 2011 to 2015 he served in the Institutional Relationship Management at Fidelity. Thereafter, he was Global Pension Head at INEOS Styrolution, responsible for the company’s global pensions, including accounting, pension asset management and plan administration. Mischa holds a degree in mathematics from the Technical University of Darmstadt and an MBA from the University of Wales. Since 2004 he is a fellow of the German Institute of Actuaries (DAV/IVS).

Investment Committee and Senior Advisors

Dr. Bettina Nürk is a member of the Investment Committee. She has extensive experience within managing pensions for institutional investors. As Head of Pensionsfonds advisory, she was substantially involved in the setup of the Mercer Pensionsfonds, serving as a board member. Previously, she was responsible for investment and pension management at Nestlé Deutschland, e.g. as a board member within Nestlé’s Pensionskasse. Between 2009 and 2012, Bettina was managing director for Uhlenbruch Verlag after working in the investment management industry for over 15 years. Following her PhD, Dr. Nürk started her career at Deutsche Bank Research in Frankfurt.

Wolf Müller is chairman of the Funding Solutions Investment Committee. He headed ING-DiBas treasury (subsidiary of ING) for over 10 years, ultimately as Head of Pension Fund Management and has profound knowledge of the banking industry. Given his background, he comprises extensive experience in risk management, pensions and corresponding investments from a national as well as international perspective. Prior to joining ING, he worked at Stadtsparkasse Düsseldorf in various positions. He is experienced within investment committees, heading various pension investment boards over the course of his career.

Walter Schmidt-Cording is a Senior Advisor and member of the Investment Committee. He has extensive experience in risk management and capital investment for complex pension landscapes. After completing his apprenticeship with Lufthansa, Mr. Schmidt-Cording began his professional career in controlling at the Lufthansa Group and subsequently held various positions in Group Treasury. From 2005 to 2017, he headed the Liquidity and Risk Management department. With the establishment of the new defined contribution pension plans until his retirement, Mr. Schmidt-Cording took over as Head of Corporate Investment Management at the Lufthansa Group. He also has extensive experience from his work in various German and international pension funds.

Prof. Dr. Joo Hee Lee is an investment specialist with decades of experience in managing multi-asset investment solutions and lecturer of quantitative finance at both the University of Cambridge and UCL. Originally a scientist, she obtained a Ph.D. in Chemical Physics from the University of Cambridge, where she later held a research fellowship. Following a mid-career transition to the finance industry, she earned CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst) and CQF (Certificate in Quantitative Finance) and subsequently acquired a second M.Sc. degree in Applied Statistics and Operational Research from Birkbeck College.
Joo Hee’s career in the financial sector has encompassed a wide variety of roles and responsibilities, including Senior Portfolio Manager at Invesco; Team Leader of Solutions Design, Portfolio Manager at Fidelity Solutions and Newton Investment Management.

Wolfgang Degel has extensive experience in the field of occupational pension schemes. After studying business administration in Munich and joining the BMW Group in 1986, Wolfgang Degel held various positions within the group. From 1997 onwards, he was Group Head of Remuneration Systems and from 1999 to 2022 he was responsible for the company pension scheme within the HR department. In this capacity, he introduced deferred compensation (DC) as part of the direct commitment at the turn of the millennium and subsequently achieved the conversion from defined benefit to defined contribution plans. These pension plans are considered groundbreaking for many other companies. In addition, the BMW Group has received several awards for its communication and digitalisation in occupational pension schemes thanks to Wolfgang Degel’s pioneering solutions. We are very much looking forward to working with Wolfgang Degel.