Change in the top management of the EOS Group to strengthen the internationalization strategy

In the course of its successful internationalization strategy, EOS Holding GmbH, Hamburg, is reorganizing its regional responsibilities: At the beginning of the coming financial year on 1 March 2024, the German market will be merged into the new Central Europe region. In addition to Eastern and Western Europe, this will create another high-growth region with the markets of Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Hungary.

In the course of this restructuring, a number of changes have been decided in the management team of the Otto Group's financial services provider: Dr Stephan Ohlmeyer, 55, a proven financial expert and insider of the industry, will join the Group on 1 November 2023. After a four-month handover period by the current Managing Director of Germany, Andreas Kropp, 56, Ohlmeyer will take over the region Central Europe. After around 20 years in various management positions at the Otto Group, Andreas Kropp will in future be taking on new tasks outside the EOS Group at his own request.

"We would like to thank Andreas Kropp for his many years of commitment to EOS in a highly developed, important market for the Group," says Petra Scharner-Wolff, Group Executive Board Member for Finance, Controlling and Human Resources at the Otto Group. "Now the task is to build up the Central Europe region. With Dr. Stephan Ohlmeyer, we have found the ideal person for this task at EOS. He has been a companion in the industry for many years. His view from the outside together with his outstanding expertise as a financial expert bring new impulses at the right time."

Dr Stephan Ohlmeyer is regarded as an internationally renowned portfolio manager. After holding positions at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Lone Star and investment firms such as Intrum and Hoist, he wants to bring his expertise to the company for the next growth steps. "Ideal conditions were created for me to join the company: With the support of Andreas Kropp and the board colleagues from Western and Eastern Europe, I can build up the necessary internal know-how for the various markets in the coming months. Together with my international experience, we will quickly move the Central Europe region forward," says Ohlmeyer.

Further changes in the top management of the Group will also be implemented on 1 March 2024: The Managing Director of Western Europe, Dr Andreas Witzig will leave the Board at the end of the financial year after 17 years. The 57-year-old lawyer looks back on a career of around 20 years in leading positions in the Otto Group.

"Dr Andreas Witzig has been able to develop the Western Europe region excellently over the past years. I would like to thank him very much for this. With Sebastian Pollmer a great talent of the younger generation is taking over who has already become intensively acquainted with the markets", explains Petra Scharner-Wolff, Group Executive Board Member for Finance, Controlling and Human Resources of the Otto Group.

Sebastian Pollmer, Senior Vice President for the region, will succeed as the new Managing Director of the Western Europe Region. The 39-year-old has gained outstanding expertise in the field of NPL transactions and evaluations after holding positions at Norddeutsche Landesbank and KPMG since 2016. "I am very pleased about the trust placed in me. There is still a lot of potential in the Western Europe region. From March 2024, my team and I will focus primarily on leveraging precisely this potential, especially in the area of digitalisation," he says.

"In these rapidly changing times and numerous uncertainties in the economy and politics, it is becoming increasingly important to consistently adapt as a company and to map diverse skills in the management team," Scharner-Wolff summarises. "I am convinced that with the current changes we are taking the right development step into the future, which will ensure the success of the Otto Group."