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Ceconomy, the owner of electronics chains MediaMarkt and Saturn, has appointed a new CEO and a new CFO. After the exit of Pieter Haas, Jörn Werner and Karin Sonnenmoser will take over.
Digital transformation and culture change
On 1 March, Werner and Sonnenmoser will take over leadership of the German retail holding Ceconomy as CEO and CFO, respectively. The board of directors will also regain a member: Bernhard Düttmann, former temporary manager, will be returning to his normal position. The board approved these measures unanimously.
“I am convinced that both [Werner and Sonnenmoser] will make a significant contribution to advancing and accelerating the digital transformation and cultural change at CECONOMY“, chairman Jürgen Fitschen commented.
Management cleanup
Werner comes from Auto-Teile-Unger, a German car repair chain, where he served as top executive between 2015 and 2018. Before that, he was at the helm of competing electronics retailer Conrad, where he was in charge of the company’s strategic review. Ceconomy calls Werner a proven expert in the field of digital transformation and international growth strategies.
The new CEO will be taking over from Pieter Haas, who left the company last year. The company announced a big management cleanup and wants to begin its turnaround with a fresh start. “I see potential for a successful future at Ceconomy,” said Werner, elaborating that he wants to align MediaMarkt and Saturn more with today’s customer and to improve the team atmosphere.
Winning back lost confidence
Werner will be assisted by new CFO Sonnenmoser, who joins from Austrian lighting producer Zumtobel Group, where she also served as CFO. Sonnenmoser started her career at Volkswagen and now considers it her mission at Ceconomy to “win back lost confidence, especially in the capital markets”, referring to her new company’s weak position on the stock market.
The only familiar face still on the new management team is Spaniard Ferran Reverter, who remains COO of MediaMarkt and Saturn. He will continue his work on the chains’ digital revolution (which is already underway). Fitschen wants to see that digitisation “as soon as possible now”.
