CEO leaves Ceconomy for job in new Cabinet

Ceconomy CEO Karsten Wildberger is making a remarkable career change: he is leaving the MediaMarkt and Saturn owner to lead Germany’s new Digital Ministry.

Temporary or long-term successor

If all goes well, Wildberger will step down on 5 May to take on the role of Minister for Digital and Modernization of the State, a newly created office, at the request of CDU leader and future Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Ceconomy announced the departure in a press release today, and says it is looking for an interim or long-term successor.

In a statement, Wildberger says he feels “honoured by the trust that Friedrich Merz has placed in me and by the opportunity to become the new Minister for Digital Affairs”. The CEO added that he would try to take his experience in digitisation from the retail sector to the modernisation of his country. “What makes this sudden departure a little easier is the knowledge that our company is excellently positioned for the future. I have every confidence that the management team will continue to build on the growth path”, Wildberger concluded.