Dr Jochen Ahn holds a doctorate in physical chemistry. Together with Matthias Bockholt, he founded the company in 1996. The company's then complicated (and not very SEO-friendly) name was later changed to ABO Wind AG (short for "Ahn & Bockholt") when it became a stock corporation. In 2024, the name and legal form of the company were changed to ABO Energy GmbH & Co. KGaA. As personally liable shareholder of the general partner, Ahn remains actively involved in the business. The families of both founders are majority shareholders and each own about 26 per cent of the stock. Before starting his own business, Ahn had worked as an expert for wind energy at the Ministry of the Environment of the German state of Hesse.
Matthias Bockholt studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Applied Sciences Bingen and wrote his Master thesis on photovoltaic systems. After his graduation, he started working at the Hessian Ministry of Environment, where his task was to evaluate solar energy projects. There he met Dr. Jochen Ahn, with whom he started the company that today is ABO Energy, at the age of 30. Today, Matthias Bockholt remains personally liable as shareholder of the General Partner. He is also responsible for the activities of the ABO Energy Services subsidiary.
