German broadcaster RTL Deutschland has set out its new Management Board following regulatory clearance of its acquisition of Sky Deutschland, confirming Stephan Schmitter as CEO of the combined business ahead of closing expected on 1 June 2026.
The new structure, announced by RTL Group after the European Commission’s unconditional approval of the deal, brings together senior executives from both companies and is designed to drive a swift integration across free-to-air, pay-TV and streaming.
From Sky Deutschland, Elke Walthelm will join the Management Board as Chief Human Resources Officer. She currently serves as Chief Operating Officer at Sky Deutschland, with responsibility for programming, technology, content operations and human resources.
Michael Radelsberger, currently Managing Director of Sky Austria and Sky Media, will take on the role of Chief Consumer Officer. At RTL Deutschland, he will oversee the combined subscription business spanning RTL+, Sky and WOW, with around 12.3 million paying subscribers.
Julia Kloke will join as Chief Financial Officer from Riverty on 1 May 2026. She has served as CFO of Bertelsmann’s financial services provider since January 2023 and previously held senior finance roles within the parent company of RTL Group.
At the same time, Ingrid Heisserer, currently CFO and Chief Human Resources Officer of RTL Deutschland, and Carsten Schwecke, currently Chief Commercial, Tech & Data Officer, will leave the company “on the best of terms”, according to RTL Group. Their responsibilities will be reallocated within the new leadership set-up, with Kloke assuming finance duties and Walthelm taking over human resources, while Schwecke’s commercial, technology and data remit will be distributed as part of the integration.
The Management Board will further comprise Chief Operating Officer Andreas Fischer, Chief Content Officer Inga Leschek and Chief Transformation & AI Officer Max Orgonyi. Frank Vogel, Managing Director of RTL Deutschland’s advertising sales house Ad Alliance, will report directly to Schmitter.
“The combination of RTL and Sky creates a unique offering for entertainment, sport and news across free-to-air TV, pay-TV and streaming. We will gradually combine Sky and RTL and realise annual synergies of around €250 million within three years,” said Thomas Rabe, CEO of RTL Group.
“I am delighted to appoint Elke Walthelm, Julia Kloke and Michael Radelsberger to the Management Board of RTL Deutschland. Under the leadership of Stephan Schmitter, they will drive forward the integration and further transformation of the company. At the same time, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Ingrid Heisserer and Carsten Schwecke for their successful work and dedication,” added Rabe.
According to Schmitter, the new board reflects a strategic focus on streaming and audience-centric growth: “The composition of the new Management Board underlines our clear focus on consistently aligning the joint organisation with the future of television, particularly the streaming business.”
