Two long-standing members of the Executive Board of the SPAR Group, Chairman Dr. Gerhard Drexel and Mag. Rudolf Staudinger, are set to step down from the Executive Board at the end of 2020 upon reaching the age of 65. SPAR has already planned for the succession: Mag. Fritz Poppmeier is due to become the new Chairman of the Executive Board of SPAR Holding AG on 1 January 2021, with KR Hans K. Reisch serving as his deputy. New members of the Executive Board include Mag. Marcus Wild, Mag. Markus Kaser, and Mag. Paul Klotz. All of the designated future members of the Executive Board have been members of the management of SPAR Austria Group for a number of years. SPAR thus ensures continuity in the management of the company, in its tried and tested manner, and the new appointments will further strengthen its position as a Central European retail group. Dr. Gerhard Drexel will take over as Chairman of the Supervisory Board at the beginning of 2021.

In accordance with the statutes of SPAR, which stipulate a maximum age limit of 65 years, Dr. Gerhard Drexel will step down from the Executive Board of SPAR at the end of 2020, after 31 years on the Executive Board and 20 years as Chairman of the Executive Board. As co-owner, he will join the Supervisory Board at the beginning of 2021 and take over as Chairman.

After 36 years with SPAR and 18 years on the Executive Board, where he has been extremely successful in international business, Mag. Rudolf Staudinger is also set to leave the Executive Board at the end of 2020, at the age of 65, in accordance with the SPAR statutes.

In order to ensure continuity in the management of the company, SPAR initiated discussions about the succession at an early stage and decided to align itself even more firmly as a Central European retail group. Therefore, in the future, there will be five members of the Executive Board instead of the current four. SPAR is particularly pleased with the fact that all functions, including the new appointments, have been filled by existing SPAR executives.

The New Executive Board of SPAR

Mag. Fritz Poppmeier (54) will be the new Chairman of the Executive Board, effective 1 January 2021. The lawyer and son of SPAR founder Dr. Fritz Poppmeier has worked for the company, in various functions, for 26 years. He has been a member of the SPAR Group Executive Board since 1999. As Chairman of the Executive Board, he will be responsible for Corporate Strategy, PR, Sustainability, Retail Sales, Logistics, Distribution Centers, Expansion, and REGIO from 2021.

KR Hans K. Reisch (58) will serve as the Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board. Reisch is the grandson of SPAR founder Hans F. Reisch and has held various positions in the company for 33 years. He has been a member of the SPAR Group Executive Board since 2001, where he has been responsible for finance, retail locations, and TANN, among other things. He will also be responsible for Controlling, Human Resources, Staff Development, and Legal Affairs, commencing in 2021.

Mag. Marcus Wild (57), who, in his role as Chief Executive Officer SES Spar European Shopping Centers, has built up the SPAR Group company in recent years and made it the market leader for shopping centers in Austria and Slovenia, has been newly appointed to the Executive Board. He will be responsible for SES, Real Estate, Hervis, and Business Process Management.

Mag. Markus Kaser (48) has also been newly appointed to the Executive Board. The successful INTERSPAR Managing Director will be responsible for Marketing, CSR, Purchasing, IT, INTERSPAR, and Maximarkt.

The Executive Board of SPAR will be completed by Mag. Paul Klotz (54), who began his career at INTERSPAR in Austria in 1994 and has been a member of the management team of DeSPAR Italy (ASPIAG Service srl.) since 2000. He will be in charge of managing the international activities of SPAR Austria.

Succession-related Appointments

Dr. Christof Rissbacher, who has successfully managed the SPAR distribution center in Wörgl for the last eight years, will succeed Mag. Klotz on the Italian Management Board. Mag. Patricia Sepetavc, who currently manages the department Retail Locations for Tyrol and Salzburg, will be the new Managing Director of the SPAR distribution centers in Wörgl.

The appointment of Mag. Marcus Wild to the Executive Board will also result in the restructuring of the management of SES: Mag. Johann Felser, the current CFO of SES, will become Chief Executive Officer. He will be supported by two seasoned SES executives as Managing Directors: Mag. Christoph Andexlinger, who is the current head of Center Management International, and Dr. Johannes Köth, who is the head of International Asset Management.

The new Managing Director of INTERSPAR will be Mag. Johannes Holzleitner, who has successfully managed the areas of supplier policy and assortment strategy and has served as Managing Director of EKS since 2012. Dietmar Steiner will remain Deputy Managing Director of INTERSPAR, as before. Mag. Michaela Kaspar, who previously served as INTERSPAR Divisional Manager Food and Non-Food I, will be the new Deputy Managing Director.

Mag. Tanja Wiesmann, who has been a SPAR assortment manager since 2001, will succeed Mag. Holzleitner as Head of Supplier Policy and Assortment Strategy and Managing Director of EKS.


Supplements:
Chart showing the new composition of the Executive Board of SPAR Holding, effective 2021, and the resulting new appointments.

SPAR photo (royalty-free, © SPAR/Helge Kirchberger Photography):
New Chairman of the Executive Board of SPAR from 2021: Mag. Fritz Poppmeier

Additional photos can be requested at silvia.breitwimmer@spar.at