Bundestheater-Holding

Bundestheater-Holding GmbH is responsible for the control and operational management of the Bundestheater Group. It is responsible for securing the financing of the theatres and offers its subsidiaries central services, for example in Group-wide legal and tax matters as well as budget and financial issues.

In implementing this objective, Bundestheater-Holding GmbH acts as a strategic management holding company for the subsidiaries and, as their shareholder, represents the interests of an owner.

Strategic management and financial security of the stage companies

The work of the Bundestheater-Holding aims to ensure the long-term financing of the Austrian Federal Theatres. Economy, efficiency and expediency are the guiding principles for the work of Bundestheater-Holding GmbH. This applies first and foremost to the use of the subsidies provided by the Republic of Austria to Bundestheater-Holding GmbH and the stage companies.

Financial accounting 

The central booking of all business transactions of the Group companies and the execution of payment transactions support the internal control system, create synergy effects and transparency and enable optimization measures such as harmonization, standardization and digitization of accounting processes, which reduces both administrative effort and costs.

Controlling

The tasks of investment controlling include, in particular, the analysis of Group planning and the creation and preparation of target/actual comparisons, evaluations and key figures as a basis for decision-making for the financial management of Österreichische Bundestheater by the management and as information for the Supervisory Board and the owners' representative. The department's tasks also include managing or participating in projects to optimize commercial processes.

Internal Audit

Audits of Group-wide internal work processes with regard to their economy, legality, expediency and efficiency are reported to the respective Supervisory Boards by the “Internal Audit” division. These reports contain recommendations and measures.

Payroll accounting

The payroll accounting department is responsible for the correct processing of remuneration claims for more than 2,400 employees of the Austrian Federal Theatres. Group-wide uniform payroll accounting and the digitalization of processes are intended to achieve savings and improve workflows.

Human Resources

Human resources are the most important asset of the Austrian Federal Theatres. The search for new employees is currently proving to be a major challenge in many areas. For this reason, the development and implementation of a holistic HR strategy is of central importance to the Austrian Federal Theater Group. The most recent result of HR activities is the founding of the “Akademie für Theaterhandwerk”, a training initiative for apprentices.

Negotiation and conclusion of collective agreements for the Bundestheater Group

Bundestheater-Holding GmbH is the statutory collective bargaining partner for all employees of the Austrian Federal Theatres. The cooperation with “younion_Die Daseinsgewerkschaft” and the works councils of the companies of the Austrian Federal Theatres is based on a solution-oriented social partnership.

Strategic coordination of Group-wide ticketing

The implementation of the Austrian Federal Theatres' new ticket distribution system has been largely completed. In the long term, the new ticketing system will lead to savings in sales costs and a simplification of internal processes. The functionalities will also be continuously optimized in the future; the implementation of a CRM system is currently underway.

Strategic coordination and management of Group-wide IT

The digitalization of administrative and work processes at the Austrian Federal Theatres is a key factor in increasing efficiency, optimizing our offerings and improving the customer experience. The Group IT department of Bundestheater-Holding manages the necessary digitalization measures, the provision of the required IT systems and the necessary information security.

Coordination of construction projects

With an annual construction and investment volume of 50% to 75% of the holding company's total budget, maintenance and renovation measures are carried out on the properties and buildings/venues transferred to the usufruct.

Data protection & compliance

The compliance organization within the Group has been clearly defined in structural terms and anchored in the corporate organization. It makes a key contribution to sustainable risk prevention and the strategic alignment of governance structures within the company. The Group-wide compliance and data protection structures are constantly being developed. The focus here is on implementing legal requirements, establishing binding standards and engaging in constructive dialog with supervisory authorities on current topics such as AI, whistleblower protection and data sovereignty.

Sustainability strategy

Bundestheater-Holding and its subsidiaries are committed to working sustainably in order to take responsibility for the environment and society. In this respect, the holding company's strategic sustainability management is responsible for introducing the mandatory sustainability report in accordance with the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and coordinating Group-wide measures in the areas of climate and environmental protection, social responsibility and governance. These include professional risk management, measures to conserve resources, waste management, mobility and awareness-raising, as well as successful environmental management (ISO 50.001 certification).

Management
Mag. Christian Kircher

Procuration
Mag.^a Annamaria Šikoronja-Martines
Ruth Schuster

Members of the Supervisory Board
Prof. Dr. Manfred Matzka, Chairman
Hon.-Prof.ⁱⁿ Dr.ⁱⁿ Sieglinde Gahleitner
Hedy Graber
Dr. Franz Medwenitsch
Mag. Bernhard Rinner
Mag. Matthäus Zelenka
Jürgen Beitelberger, employee representative
Mag. Wilfried Hedenborg, employee representative
Josef Luftensteiner, employee representative

Sole shareholder
Republic of Austria
Owner's representative in the Federal Ministry of Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport: SC Mag.^a Theresia Niedermüller, MSc

Here you can find the annual report of Bundestheater-Holding GmbH 2023/2024 as pdf for download or for browsing. 

You can also find the Corporate Governance Report of Bundestheater-Holding GmbH 2023/2024 here as a pdf for downloading or browsing.