Managing Partners & Directors

CRISTINA BÜLOW, Structuring
Cristina Bülow, has over 20 years of experience in the field of international capital market transactions. As a business graduate, she held positions at Citibank in Frankfurt and New York, Arthur Andersen, as well as in the project finance department at the European Investment Bank. Starting in 2001, Ms. Bülow helped build the closed-end funds division for Ernst & Young in Hamburg. Since 2009, she is a Managing Director at Aquila Capital and CEO of Ocean Partners Shipping.

HELMUT  HOHMANN, Client Advisory and Structuring
As director of Alceda Fund Management S.A., Hemut is responsible for the Luxembourg-based client advisory team. Before joining Alceda, he was senior client advisor at DZ Bank Intenational S.A.'s management company focusing on partner acquisitions in its funds business. In the past 17 years, he has also held positions at Deka Luxemburg, Landesbank Rheinland-Pfalz Int. S.A., as well as Landesbank Schleswig-Holstein Int. S.A.

CHRISTIAN KIEFER, Institutional Investors
Managing Director of Aquila Capital Institutional and Head of  the Aquila Capital branch in Munich. Christian looks back onto an impressive career in some of the leading financial institutions in Germany. Having completed his business degree Christian took up his first position in the securities department of Bayerische Vereinsbank and later on became Executive Assistant of the Chairman of the Board. In this role Christian was working closely on central issues of corporate development, such as the establishment of an independent inhouse asset management arm, which culminated in the merger of Bayrischer Hypotheken- and Wechselbank with Bayerischen Vereinsbank. In 2003, prior to joining Aquila, Christian changed to Hannover Leasing and served as Managing Director of the group’s sales arm ACCONTIS, where he was responsible for private wealth managers, IFAs and the larger banking entities.

MARC KRIEGSMANN, Structuring
Managing Director of Alceda Fund Management S.A., Mr. Kriegsmann was formerly head of Fund Set-up, Consulting, and International Licensing at DZ BANK International S.A. For over six years now he has been working in investment product design and fund approvals within and outside Europe.

JOST RODEWALD, COO
As COO Mr. Rodewald is responsible for business administration, structuring and risk management for the firm. Previously he was with DZ BANK International S. A. in Luxemburg, in charge of product set-up and fund project coordination.

MICHAEL SANDERS, Structuring and B2B Partners
Responsible for the Client Advisory team and the strategic alignment of the Aquila Capital Group’s Luxemburg operations. As Managing Director of IPConcept Fund Management S.A. he played a major role in the successful creation of a Luxemburg private label company. Previously he was with DZ BANK International S.A. in Private Banking as an account executive for nine-digit portfolios.

DETLEF SCHÖN, Climate and Agriculture
Managing Director of KlimaINVEST and Aquila Capital Green Assets, responsible for portfolio management. Mr. Schön began his career with Cargill after completing a degree in agronomics. Having held a range of positions at the firm, including at its European headquarters, before long he was made Managing Director of the European Commodities Merchandizing Division. He also ran his own successful business for a time before returning to global agribusiness as Manager of International Grains for NIDERA in Rotterdam.

AXEL STIEHLER, Private Investor segment
Managing Director and co-founder of Aquila Capital Alternatives, responsible for the Private Investor client segment. From 1998 to 2000 Mr. Stiehler, who holds a business degree, was responsible for international real estate acquisition for MPC Münchmeyer Petersen Real Estate. Between 2001 and 2005 he was head of wealth management at Hanseatische i-Bank AG.

ANDREAS STÜTZ, Institutional Investor segment
Managing Director and co-founder of Aquila Capital Institutional GmbH, responsible for the Aquila Capital Group’s institutional client segment. With over 20 years of capital markets experience, Mr. Stütz specializes in complex investment structuring on both a product and portfolio level, and developing new asset classes geared to institutional clients. He has worked previously for Blank Asset Managers, Merrill Lynch and JP Morgan.

RAFAEL VIDAL LÓPEZ, Private Investor segement
Managing Director and co-founder of Aquila Capital Alternatives. Holding a business administration degree, Mr. Lopez got started in currency trading in 1991. In 1996 he began trading securities for comdirect bank. Between 2001 and 2005 he was a wealth management advisor for Hanseatischen i-Bank AG.


Aquila Capital is a team of over 100 important individuals, though only the Managing Directors are introduced here. Our corporate culture values individuals who are focused and ambitious, with an entrepreneurial sense of responsibility combined with a strong commitment to teamwork. We believe strongly that the traits and talents of our staff members are the key to achieving results, which in combination with synergies and innovations propel our organization towards long-term success.