Germany’s business leaders discuss luxury behind the doors of the Villa Speyer
Stephan Kemen, Frank Marrenbach and Marc Sasserath are bringing together leading figures from the worlds of business, media and transport for an exclusive evening exploring luxury, entrepreneurship and the power of personal encounters.
What does luxury mean today – and what role does it play in a changing world? With this question as its focus, the exclusive business networking event IN GOOD COMPANY, held for the second time on 11 June 2026 in Frankfurt am Main, centred entirely on a topic that is of equal concern to the economy, society and consumers.
The evening’s hosts were Stephan Kemen, CEO of the Mäurer & Wirtz Group and Co-CEO of Classic Parfums and The Nose Behind; Frank Marrenbach, CEO of the Althoff Collection; and Marc Sasserath, CEO of Sasserath 1871. Together, they welcomed around 25 selected CEOs, entrepreneurs, founders and decision-makers from the worlds of business, media, transport, finance and retail.
Image credits: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for MAEURER & WIRTZ GmbH & Co. KG
A select group of business leaders
Guests included Thomas Lindner (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung), Markus Gotta (Deutscher Fachverlag), Sina Mainitz (ZDF), Stefanie Neumann (Lufthansa Systems), Christian Uhrig (Jaguar Land Rover Germany), Navid Thielemann (Thielemann Group), Tim Kälberer (ANSON’S) and Britta Gayko (Commerzbank Business Consulting).
Following last year’s successful premiere at the historic House of 4711 in Cologne, the organisers deliberately chose to bring the event to Frankfurt – a city that, more than almost any other, epitomises economic dynamism, international connectivity and entrepreneurship. At the same time, the metropolis is becoming increasingly important to Mäurer & Wirtz from a strategic perspective: with Classic Parfums and The Nose Behind, the group now includes two of Germany’s leading distributors in the luxury and niche fragrance sectors.
Behind the doors of the Villa Speyer
For the evening portion of the event, The Florentin, a luxury hotel which welcomed its first guests in December 2025, opened up a very special part of its premises: the historic Villa Speyer. Built in 1901 for the von Speyer family of Frankfurt bankers, the villa is regarded as an architectural gem and is not normally available to hotel guests as a publicly accessible venue.
The Conservatory, the Ladies’ Room and the historic Green Hall made for an extraordinary backdrop for an evening where quality over quantity was specifically prioritised. At the champagne reception, accompanied by an exclusive fragrance bar from Classic Parfums and The Nose Behind, the guests first gathered in an intimate setting before taking their seats for a three-course menu specially curated for the evening.
Luxury redefined
But it was not just the venue that was the epitome of luxury – the theme of the evening was too. In face-to-face discussions and interviews, the hosts and their guests explored the significance of luxury in a world where time, attention and authentic experiences are becoming increasingly more valuable than material status symbols. After a round of introductions by all the guests, Marc Sasserath presented the findings of a study he had commissioned himself, which examined perceptions of luxury in Germany, France and the USA. The results show that luxury is increasingly defined in terms of intangible values these days. Time, freedom, individuality, cultural relevance, authenticity and personal experiences are becoming increasingly important compared to traditional status symbols, and are shaping a modern understanding of luxury.
Stephan Kemen then spoke about Mäurer & Wirtz’s transformation from a traditional fragrance manufacturer into a modern Global House of Perfumes, as well as developments in the international luxury and niche fragrance markets. “Today, luxury means far more than just exclusivity,” said Kemen. “In a world of constant availability, time, quality, authenticity and genuine experiences are becoming the most valuable assets. We are seeing this trend in the international fragrance industry too: people are no longer just looking for products, but for meaning, individuality and stories.” In the third discussion of the evening, Frank Marrenbach explored the role that hospitality, cuisine and atmosphere play in contemporary luxury, and how the expectations of discerning guests are changing. As CEO of the Althoff Collection, he provided insights into the development of the modern luxury hotel industry, in which bespoke experiences, personalised attention and authentic hospitality are becoming increasingly important.
Encounters that turn into connections
This is exactly what IN GOOD COMPANY is all about. Unlike traditional business conferences, this format focuses on one-to-one discussions within a deliberately small and hand-picked group. Between the courses of the dinner, the hosts’ insights and the conversations that continued into the late evening, new contacts, perspectives and connections were forged between entrepreneurs, media professionals and decision-makers from various sectors. Thanks to the combination of a high-calibre guest list, an exceptional venue and topical issues for the future, the second IN GOOD COMPANY event once again turned out to be one of those rare evenings where networking does not feel staged, but rather happens quite naturally. The next IN GOOD COMPANY is already in the pipeline.
About IN GOOD COMPANY
IN GOOD COMPANY is an exclusive networking event for managing directors, entrepreneurs, founders and decision-makers. Initiated by Stephan Kemen (Mäurer & Wirtz) and Marc Sasserath (Sasserath 1871), the series of events brings together leading figures from the German business world in extraordinary venues. The aim is to foster an open exchange of views on relevant issues for the future and to forge lasting connections at the highest level.
