Ströer realigns operational leadership of its Media business: Sven Scheffler assumes COO role – three-member leadership team to oversee Media business in Germany and abroad

Ströer is realigning the operational leadership of its Media business in Germany and abroad / Stefan Mölling, Sven Scheffler and Alexander Stotz will jointly assume overall responsibility / As COO, Sven Scheffler will be responsible for publishing, platforms, technology and transformation / Marc Schmitz is leaving Ströer at his own request

Ströer SE & Co. KGaA is realigning the operational leadership of its Media business in Germany and abroad. Going forward, Stefan Mölling, Sven Scheffler and Alexander Stotz will jointly assume overall operational responsibility.

Responsibilities are clearly allocated:

• Stefan Mölling will assume overall commercial responsibility for the market, customers, products and revenue as the new Chief Commercial Officer (CCO). He will take on his new role no later than March 1, 2027.

• Sven Scheffler will assume the position of Chief Operating Officer (COO) for the Media business and will be responsible for publishing, platforms, technology and transformation.

• Alexander Stotz will continue to be responsible for infrastructure and local markets as CEO of Ströer Media Deutschland GmbH, as well as local operational and sales execution.

Sven Scheffler assumes responsibility for publishing, technology and transformation

Ströer is consistently evolving its Media business into an integrated platform business. Technology, data, automation and AI are increasingly shaping operational processes and the continued development of products and offerings. Against this backdrop, Ströer is bringing together responsibility for the operational Media business, technological transformation and the CTO function under Scheffler.

As part of the realignment, Sven Scheffler will assume the newly created position of COO for the Media business. Going forward, he will be responsible for the publishing and content business with t-online as its flagship. In addition, he will oversee the Group-wide IT and AI transformation as well as the Transformation Office; his existing responsibility as Group Chief Technology Officer (CTO) will become an integral part of this expanded operational mandate.

“Ströer’s future will be largely technology-driven. It is therefore a logical step to combine responsibility for the operational Media business, technological transformation and the CTO function in one mandate,” says Udo Müller, CEO of Ströer SE & Co. KGaA.

“With Stefan Mölling, Sven Scheffler and Alexander Stotz, we are creating clear operational responsibility for our Media business in Germany and abroad. Stefan will lead the commercial agenda, Sven the operational and technological execution, and Alexander will continue to oversee infrastructure and local markets. These three areas of responsibility complement one another and together form the basis for the next phase of development of our Media business,” Udo Müller continues.

Clear responsibility in the publishing and content business

As part of his expanded mandate, Sven Scheffler will also assume operational responsibility for Ströer’s publishing and content business. This represents a key component of the Open Web business.

Sven Scheffler is taking over Arne Henkes and Florian Harms, who report directly to him, from Schmitz. As part of this, Henkes’ and Harms’ responsibilities will be expanded:

• Arne Henkes will be responsible for steering the publishing portfolio, audience development and monetization as Managing Director of the Ströer Content Group.

• Florian Harms will remain editor-in-chief of t-online and will additionally assume editorial responsibility for the entire portfolio as Managing Director of the Ströer Content Group.

Operational and editorial leadership of the publishing and content business will therefore remain clearly assigned. At the same time, they will be more closely linked to the technological development of platforms, data offerings and processes.

The operating companies and their management teams will remain central pillars of the business and will continue to be responsible for their respective areas.

“Bringing together publishing, platforms, technology and transformation opens up significant opportunities for us,” says Sven Scheffler. “We want to make our offerings more technologically scalable, integrate inventories and data more closely, and significantly simplify and automate our processes. This will create the foundation for a high-performance platform business and for solutions that deliver tangible value to our customers and users.”

Marc Schmitz is leaving Ströer at his own request

Marc Schmitz will leave Ströer after many years of successful service at his own request in order to pursue new responsibilities as part of his personal life plans.

Schmitz has shaped and successfully developed Ströer’s publishing business over many years with great entrepreneurial drive. Under his leadership, the business with t-online as its flagship was positioned as a market leader.

“We very much regret Marc’s decision, but of course respect his personal wish. Marc has shaped our publishing business entrepreneurially and developed it outstandingly. I would like to thank him very warmly for his exceptional work and for our many years of trusting collaboration. I wish him all the best for his future professional and personal journey,” says Udo Müller.

The transfer of his previous responsibilities to Sven Scheffler will take place in an orderly manner.



Disclaimer

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” regarding Ströer SE & Co. KGaA (“Ströer”) or the Ströer Group, including assessments, estimates and forecasts relating to the financial position, business strategy, plans and objectives of management and the future business activities of Ströer or the Ströer Group. Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Ströer’s or the Ströer Group’s earnings position, profitability, performance or results to differ materially from the earnings position, profitability, performance or results expressly or implicitly assumed or described in these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release and are based on numerous assumptions that may also prove to be incorrect. Ströer makes no representation and assumes no liability with respect to the proper presentation, completeness, correctness, adequacy or accuracy of the information and assessments contained herein. The information contained in this press release may be changed without any notice. It may be incomplete or abbreviated and may not contain all material information relating to Ströer or the Ströer Group. Ströer assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise the forward-looking statements or other information contained herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.