For 200 Wirecard staff, their 2009 Christmas party at a Munich penthouse brought a surprise: their aloof and mysterious boss, Markus Braun, actually spoke to them.
In a brief speech, Mr Braun, who usually avoided large gatherings and public addresses, said in English that this would now be the company’s main language, reflecting its global ambitions. “It was kind of awkward, because half the staff in those days did not speak it,” a former employee remembers.
The chief executive also announced that his young protégé, fellow Austrian Jan Marsalek, would become chief operating officer and help plot an international expansion to transform the prospects of the group.
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