Mr. Becken, Prof. Dr. Michael Becken, before we talk about the future, let's take a look at Becken's history, which extends far into the present.

DB | That is absolutely right. After all, the past
is also the basis for the present and the prerequisite for the
future. More than 43 years of real estate history have shaped me as an
entrepreneur and also my company. The values of our company have been consolidated and developed over the decades and are now enough of an obligation for us to think about the next generations. With the Board of Directors, I have set another fundamental milestone in my company's history. So you are absolutely right when you say that the past extends into the present and into the future.

MB | Before we turn to the Board of Directors, which will ensure the continued existence of
Becken far beyond Dieter Becken's time at
, we would like to take a brief look at our company's
present and recent past. In
recent years, we have experienced considerable growth.
In addition to Berlin, we have opened branches in Frankfurt am Main and Munich. The number of our employees has now doubled and our project pipeline for the next three to five years has been expanded to a good 1.9 billion euros. Our projects include office and residential real estate projects in the cities of Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich and Stuttgart and their surrounding growth regions.

That sounds like considerable growth. How do you meet this challenge structurally?

DB | With the holding structure established in 2006, we have created the decisive prerequisite for any growth.
Under the strong umbrella of the holding company, the individual divisions operate largely independently as expert teams and are networked with each other at the same time.

MB | With this holding company, we work like a group and yet are and remain a powerful family business with all its responsibilities. An important structural realignment in 2019 was the aforementioned Board of Directors, which is attached to the holding company. A supervisory and control body of selected family members and external experts for the areas of real estate and financing.

Could one say that you develop the strategies and visions of your company in the holding company?

DB | The entire know-how is concentrated under the umbrella of the holding company. This is where the strategies and visions for the future are actually developed

MB | We are prepared to tackle challenging goals under our leadership, the leadership of the next generation. Our aim is not just to build more, but to build more intelligently, more sustainably and more resource-efficiently. Teamwork plays an important role in this. Nobody builds a house alone. In every real estate development, it is important to us that everyone involved in the project identifies with their task and the company, and thus grows together to form a large team.

DB | The pressing issues of our time are the creation of living space in urban centers and climate protection. We can only tackle these issues together. And thus create space to work, to live, to breathe - buildings that are living and working spaces for people.

DB | Evaluating analyses, making decisions, creating sustainable real estate values: Real estate expertise is in our DNA.

DB | At Becken, we believe in the world of tomorrow! In order to help shape tomorrow, we always look beyond our own horizons. We are driven by inspiration and new perspectives and are always aware of our responsibility.