Markus Liebherr was a German-born Swiss businessman and a member of one of Europe's top family business dynasties. He was the son of the late Hans Liebherr, who started the company Liebherr, one of the world's leading manufacturers of construction machinery, set up over 60 years ago in Germany. Markus was given equal shares in the German holding company in the 1980s when the business moved its management headquarters to Switzerland. He later handed most of his shares back to his family, and ran his own group of companies, the Mali Group, from 1994 until his death. His holding company, DMWSL 613 Limited, bought English Football League side Southampton in July 2009, which took the club out of administration. Liebherr died of a heart attack, on 10 August 2010.
One of the companies is CRT Common Rail Technologies AG based in Beringen, Switzerland – a business concerning the ‘research and design of common rail systems’.
Another of his companies is Mali Motan AG, also based in Beringen and concerning the ‘manufacturing and sales of CVT transmissions and common rail systems."
A third company is the German-based BSG Bodensee Steuergeräte – its primary business being the ‘research, design, manufacturing and sales of electronic control units for common rail injection and transmissions."
MALI Spezialfahrzeuge GmbH based in Eberhardzell, Germany, concerns ‘research and design transmission technology.’
MALI Spezialfahrzeugbau GmbH, based in Elbe, Germany, deals with ‘research, design, manufacture and sale’ of offroad vehicles.
The group's website says: "Our ideology is dealing with the development of leading-edge products oriented at the market that follow technologically new ways and show ecologically a large potential."
On 8 July 2009, 98 days after Southampton Leisure Holdings PLC, Southampton's former holding company, had been placed in administration under Begbies Traynor, Liebherr's bid to buy the club was successfully completed. The total amount he had paid has not been disclosed but it is believed to be around £13–15 million. In the first year of Liebherr's ownership, Southampton F.C. overcame a ten-point deduction for going into administration to mount a late challenge for the play-offs, missing out by seven points. On 28 March 2010, Southampton won the Football League Trophy at Wembley Stadium. Since then Southampton has had a remarkable climb, reaching the highest division in 2012 and now having solidified themselves in that division. In 2017, Markus Liebherr's daughter Katharina Liebherr sold an 80 stake in the club for GBP210 million to Chinese Lander Sports Investment company owned by the Gao family.
