Following the decision to combine RTL Deutschland and Gruner + Jahr (G+J) on January 1, 2022, RTL Group announced changes to the management of RTL Deutschland.
On September 1, 2021, Matthias Dang and Stephan Schäfer will take over the leadership of RTL Deutschland as Co-CEOs. The former CEO of RTL Deutschland, Bernd Reichart, will leave RTL Group to take on new management responsibilities within parent company Bertelsmann Group.
In his new role as Co-CEO of RTL Deutschland, Schäfer will continue to be responsible for RTL Deutschland’s content and brands, including the entire journalistic offering. He will also remain CEO of Gruner + Jahr.
In his new role as Co-CEO of RTL Deutschland, Dang will continue to lead all commercial, technological and digital activities of the company. He will also remain CEO of German advertising sales house Ad Alliance.
Oliver Radtke, Managing Director of G+J, will additionally become a member of the management board of RTL Deutschland on September 1, 2021. In this role, he will be responsible for the overall coordination of the combination of RTL Deutschland and G+J.
“By combining RTL Deutschland and Gruner + Jahr, we are creating Germany’s first cross-media champion and making a clear commitment towards long-term growth and greater investment in quality content, diversity and pluralism of opinion, said Thomas Rabe, CEO of RTL Group.
“For this important task, we have created a new leadership structure. With Stephan Schäfer and Matthias Dang, the company will be led by two Co-CEOs who know and complement each other well, combining programming competence with journalistic and commercial expertise, strategic foresight and leadership strength,” added Rabe.
