Heidi Stevens to succeed Michael Dumke as CEO of Otto International

Heidi Stevens has an extensive career and track record in the sourcing industry. She has worked in sourcing and product development for international fashion companies for more than twenty years, in leading companies such as Walmart, the former U.S. catalog retailer Spiegel, and the shirt manufacturer Gitman Bros. In her 13 years at Walmart, Heidi held a variety of roles, and since 2013 she has worked directly in the core sourcing organization in China. There, Heidi was responsible for the entire Apparel global sourcing operation for North America and very successfully grew the business in areas such as category operations, quality assurance, technical design and sustainability. In 2018, she took over as Vice President Global Sourcing, General Merchandise & Apparel, leading additional product categories such as Footwear, Hardlines, Home and Entertainment across various retail markets such as North America, Latin America, UK and Asia. In this role, Heidi, a London College of Fashion graduate, led a global operation across 20 plus geographies with direct responsibility for sourcing, quality and technical design services, quality operations, raw materials and business development.

"Heidi Stevens brings an exceptional expertise in international procurement and is a seasoned leader. Her engaging personality and the values she holds dear will be an asset for the Otto International teams. We are delighted to have found in her the right successor for the management of Otto International and are sure that she will develop the company in a successful and sustainable way," says Sergio Bucher, Member of the Executive Board, Brands and Retail.

Michael Dumke is leaving the Otto Group for a well-deserved retirement. All of his colleagues will miss him, his professional acumen and his personal touch. Dumke looks back on a very long history in the organization. He began his training in 1984 and subsequently became a buyer at OTTO, at that time in the catalog business. In 1990, he moved to Hong Kong as a Management Trainee and was subsequently appointed Merchandise Manager. Between 1994 and 2004, Michael was OI's office manager in Bangkok, Jakarta and Italy. He then returned to Hong Kong as Managing Director of Eddie Bauer International. In 2007, he left the Otto Group to join Lidl International, but returned to the Otto Group in 2011 as CEO of Otto International.

Sergio Bucher says: "I would like to personally thank Michael not only for his years of service, his commitment and the results he has achieved, but especially for taking care of Otto International's 1,200 colleagues around the world with a great sense of responsibility regarding the Corona pandemic."

Dr. Michael Otto, Chairman of the Otto Group Supervisory Board, says farewell to a long-time companion: "In more than thirty years, Michael Dumke has undergone an extraordinarily successful development in the Otto Group. As CEO of Otto International, he has prepared the company for the great challenges of the future. I would like to thank him very much for this. I also greatly appreciated Michael Dumke's commitment to the procurement of masks and protective equipment regarding the Corona pandemic for Hamburg hospitals and, in particular, the large quantities of masks for the Federal Republic of Germany as a whole. I wish Michael Dumke all the best in his new phase of life."