Richard, who built Holsten-Brauerei into Germany’s largest brewery empire then expanded into film, apparel and biotech, passed away March 30, 2017. He was a longtime resident of Pine Plains, NY, with homes in New York, NY, and Hamburg, Germany. He will be deeply missed by family and friends, who cherished his sharp intelligence, wit, sense of adventure, integrity, and generosity. He opened his homes to all his friends and family with little concern for formality. Christian was born in New York City on September 11, 1955, to Sigrid Baroness Rudt von Collenberg and the late Johannes Richard Eisenbeiss, J.D., of Hamburg, Germany. He attended Buckley Country Day in Roslyn, NY, graduated summa cum laude from Phillips Academy, Andover, MA, at age 16, then earned a Bachelor’s degree in both mathematics and economics from Amherst College, Amherst, MA, in 1978, followed by a Masters in math from Columbia University in New York, NY, in 1979. He remained engaged in the study of mathematics throughout his life. He embarked on an investment banking career in 1979 with Dillon Read in New York, resigning in 1985 to become chairman of the Supervisory Board of Tivoli Werk AG, Hamburg, and a director of Holsten-Brauerei. He assumed the Holsten chairmanship following his father’s death in 1987 and built the company into Germany’s largest beer concern through acquisitions including Konig- Brauerei, Mecklenburgische Brauerei, Bavaria Brauerei, Licher Brauerei, Lubzer Pils, Uranus AG, and Hansa- Brun- nen AG. In 2004, he sold Holsten and the daughter companies to Danish brewer Carlsberg, which called it a “well- invested, highly efficient company.” Christian then commenced a private equity career as founder of CRE Capital LLC. He was on the Deutsche Bank Hamburg advisory board, co-founder of AmRest in Wroclaw, Poland, and an advisory board member of Commerzbank in Germany. As chairman of British Film Company, he executive produced over 15 films, including “Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie,” the documentary “McCullin,” the Middle East drama “Zaytoun.” He is survived by a loving family. A public viewing will be held Saturday, April 8, 10-11am, at Peck & Peck Funeral Home, 7749 S. Main St., Pine Plains, NY, 12567 followed by a private service. Flowers may be sent via Hugs and Kisses Flower Shop, 518-398-0063, email hugsandkisses00632@ yahoo.com .
