The story
In 1979 Jürgen Gelf set up his own business in his home office in Berg near Ravensburg/Weingarten, Germany, brokering and selling large computers to second users. Leasing out IT systems became the focus of his business. In addition to the provision of terminal equipment, the company helped its customers to manage the corresponding infrastructure, for example, to avoid unnecessary multiple purchases of peripheral equipment and software packages.
In the 1990s, CHG underwent significant restructuring to create a basis for the acquisition of several competitors. As a result, the owners converted the company into a public limited company (Aktiengesellschaft) under the name CHG-Meridian. Jürgen Gelf, who had already retired from the operating business in 1992, headed the supervisory board. In 2003 CHG-Meridian opened its new headquarters in Weingarten, where the company is still based today. While the company invested in the processing of leasing returns, the portfolio in information technology was expanded to include industrial equipment and medical technology in 2004.
The internationalization became more and more important for CHG-Meridian in the 2000s. Branches were established in many European countries, as well as Russia, for example. An important step was the acquisition of a majority stake in El Camino Resources International, a leasing company based in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, in 2009. This enabled CHG-Meridian to become a global player in technology services. As a result, in 2014, the company broke the billion-euro barrier terms of new investment volume.
Jürgen Gelf, founder and chairman of CHG-Meridian, died in 2013. Since then, there have been various changes in the management. Despite this, the company continued its horizontal and vertical growth strategy. This again included takeovers, for example in Norway and Australia.
2022, CHG-Meridian entered the global market for device as a service with its subsidiary named devicenow. In addition, the company is co-founder and main investor of circulee, which markets used and certified IT hardware to small and medium-sized enterprises.
In 2024, CHG-MERIDIAN further expanded its international presence with the acquisition of Maia Financial's portfolio in Australia and Meridian Leasing Corporation in the United States. The company also expanded its cooperation with Japanese leasing company SMFL to include the markets in China, Malaysia, and Thailand.
In March 2026, the company established a new subsidiary in Romania and is now present in 34 countries across five continents.
From Wikipedia’s article on CHG-Meridian, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5