Changes in the Executive Board: The Companies of Schwarz Group Prepare for Future Development

With two new CEOs, the management team of the companies of Schwarz Group is paving the way for the future: Effective 1 October 2023, Christian Groh, current Chief Administrative Officer Lidl International, will take over as Chief Executive Officer Schwarz Dienstleistung. He worked in various positions at Schwarz Dienstleistung from January 2010 to July 2021, most recently as Chief Accounting/Financial Reporting and Controlling Officer.

Wolf Tiedemann, currently Chief Sales, Logistics, and Central Functions Officer at Lidl International, will take over as Chief Executive Officer PreZero effective 1 October 2023. Previously, Wolf Tiedemann worked for many years as Senior Vice President Central Functions at Lidl in Germany. He spearheaded the logistics strategy for Schwarz Dienstleistung as Senior Vice President, and he was responsible for issues related to real-estate and logistics as Executive Vice President at Lidl International.

By appointing Christian Groh and Wolf Tiedemann to these new positions, the companies of Schwarz Group consider themselves ideally prepared for future development.

The former CEOs, Carsten Theurer, Chief Executive Officer Schwarz Dienstleistung, and Thomas Kyriakis, Chief Executive Officer PreZero, will be leaving the Schwarz Group by mutual consent due to differing opinions regarding the strategic direction of the companies of Schwarz Group.

Gerd Chrzanowski, General Partner Schwarz Group, thanks both colleagues sincerely for their personal commitment and their lasting contribution to the Group’s development.

Changes on Lidl’s Executive Board

Pierre Schalbe, currently Chief Administrative Officer Kaufland, will succeed Christian Groh as Chief Administrative Officer Lidl International effective 1 October 2023. At the same time, Matthias Oppitz, currently Chief Country Officer Lidl International, will succeed Wolf Tiedemann as Chief Sales, Logistics and Central Functions Officer.

In connection with Matthias Oppitz’s new role, the number of Chief Country Officers will be reduced from three to two. His current tasks will be performed by Georg Kröll and Maksymilian Braniecki in the future. The assignment of the countries will be announced by 1 October 2023.

Changes on Kaufland’s Executive Board

As successor to Pierre Schalbe, Ante Rados will be appointed as the new Chief Administrative Officer Kaufland International effective 1 October 2023. He has worked at the companies of Schwarz Group since 2005, and at Kaufland since 2018. Presently, he is Senior Vice President  Controlling International.

Schalbe has worked at the companies of Schwarz Group for more than 20 years. During this time, he has held different management roles at Lidl in Germany and Lidl International, as well as at Schwarz Produktion. Since September 2019, he has been responsible for the Administration business unit as a member of Kaufland’s Executive Board.

Schwarz Group as Leading Ecosystem

As one of the biggest retail groups in the world, the companies of Schwarz Groupups cover the entire value cycle: from food production with Schwarz Produktion and retail at Lidl and Kaufland to the the environmental services provider PreZero. Based on its long-standing tradition as a retailer and positioning along the entire value cycle, the companies of Schwarz Group represent a leading ecosystem for a sustainable and better life.