Founder Profile
Hermann Henrich Meier
Last reviewed: October 2026 · By Swet Parvadiya
Who is Hermann Henrich Meier?
Hermann Henrich Meier is a founder of Hapag-Lloyd AG, which was founded in 1970 with Adolph Godeffroy and Eduard Crusemann.
- Company founded
- Hapag-Lloyd AG
- Founded
- 1970
- Co-founders
- Adolph Godeffroy and Eduard Crusemann
Background
Bremen-based merchant, politician, and founder of several German maritime institutions.
Founding Story
Hermann Henrich Meier (1809-1898) founded Norddeutscher Lloyd (NDL) in Bremen in 1857. Recognizing the massive demand for fast, reliable transatlantic transport, he established NDL as a direct competitor to HAPAG. He pushed the company to rapidly adopt steam-powered vessels, securing highly profitable mail delivery contracts between Europe and the United States. NDL and HAPAG eventually merged in 1970 to form Hapag-Lloyd. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).
Sources
This profile does not yet cite a source specific to Hermann Henrich Meier. The sources below document the company company rather than the person, so check them against the claims above.
- Hapag-Lloyd AG 2025 Annual Report (Hapag-Lloyd AG)
- Hapag-Lloyd Investor Report FY 2025 (Hapag-Lloyd AG)