drawing of the old company building in black and white

From banknotes to cutting-edge security

Hermann Giesecke and Alphonse Devrient founded G+D in Leipzig in 1852. In 1948, Siegfried Otto, who worked at G+D and had married into the Devrient family, reestablished the company in Munich. He was the driving force behind G+D’s evolution as a global technology group. From the founders to Otto to today’s employees, every one of our staff has helped make G+D what it is today: a great employer!

Our founders

Hermann Giesecke, founder of Giesecke+Devrient

Hermann Giesecke

Born in 1831, he started his career in his father’s typesetting company. He cofounded G+D in 1852, managing business development and sales. He died in 1900 in Leipzig.

Alphonse Devrient, founder of Giesecke+Devrient

Alphonse Devrient

He was born in 1821 into a family running a chemicals business. After qualifying as a printer, he cofounded G+D with Giesecke and managed all technical areas. He died in Berlin in 1878.

From family business to global company

G+D story: from 1852 until 1854
G+D story: from 1865 until 1968
G+D story: from 1975 until 1981
G+D story: from 1991 until 1999
G+D story: from 2012 until 2016
G+D story: from 2020 till today