Prognos AG

Prognos AG was founded in Basel on 6 October 1959 by Edgar Salin (1892–1974) and six other professors.

The first Prognos Deutschland Report, Die Bundesrepublik Deutschland 1950–1970, was published in 1965.

In March 1971, the Swiss Bank Corporation acquired a majority shareholding in Prognos. At that time, the company had 75 employees.

In 1980, the first German branch was opened in Cologne. It was later moved to Düsseldorf. In the same year, the number of employees was 120. In 1982, Prognos acquired a 50% stake in IKB Consult GmbH, which had been founded by Industriekreditbank AG (IKB) in Düsseldorf. In 1985, the Swiss Bank Corporation transferred its shares to Schweizerische Treuhandgesellschaft (STG), which belonged to the same group.

Prognos opened what was then its largest office in Berlin in 1986. The Stuttgart-based Holtzbrinck Publishing Group then acquired 50% of Prognos shares from Schweizerische Treuhandgesellschaft and a further 5% from the only free shareholder, becoming the new majority shareholder. In 1991, Holtzbrinck Publishing Group increased its shareholding to 75%, while Schweizerische Treuhandgesellschaft retained 25% of the shares.

In August 1995, Holtzbrinck Publishing Group acquired the remaining Prognos shares and became the sole shareholder. Further Prognos offices were opened in Brussels and Bremen in 1999. In December 2002, the twentieth Prognos Zukunftsforum took place.

On 1 January 2014, ProgTrans AG merged with Prognos AG. As part of the succession arrangement for the founder and managing director of ProgTrans AG, Prognos AG acquired all shares in ProgTrans AG and became its sole owner. ProgTrans AG thereby returned to its original parent company.