ÖBB

"Nevertheless, it falls far too short to see Haselsteiner only as a construction entrepreneur. In fact, he is one of the most active, enterprising, and versatile entrepreneurs in Austria. Directly or indirectly, he is involved in more than 900 (!) companies and corporations. For instance, in 2008, together with partners, he took over the troubled and scandal-ridden Constantia Privatbank, restructured it, and at times held 75 percent of the shares in the successor credit institution, Semper Constantia Privatbank. Again, with other business friends, he made the state-run ÖBB railway company face competition as a co-founder of the private railway company WESTbahn. He participated in major hotel projects, possesses shares in two ski resorts, a thermal spa, real estate companies, and indirectly even in the German department store chain Karstadt and the legendary KaDeWe (Kaufhaus des Westens) in Berlin."

"Whether as a eloquent liberal politician, energetic entrepreneur, art promoter, philanthropist, or private competitor of ÖBB, Haselsteiner has been a fixture in Austrian public life for decades. Although born and raised in Tyrol, he has been considered a prime Carinthian businessman for many years: He built the medium-sized construction company he took over from his father-in-law in Spittal an der Drau into the Strabag Group within 30 years, making it one of the largest construction companies in Europe. With the exception of a brief foray into politics, he has dedicated his entire professional life primarily to the construction industry."