CECONOMY strengthens the leadership of MediaMarktSaturn – New setup for Management Board

Düsseldorf, 12 March 2026 – The Management Board of CECONOMY AG – and with it the leadership of MediaMarktSaturn, Europe’s leading consumer electronics retailer – is being reorganized. After CEO Kai-Ulrich Deissner informed the Supervisory Board that he wants to leave the company for personal reasons, Remko Rijnders, currently CFO of CECONOMY AG, will assume the role of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CECONOMY AG with effect from 1 July 2026. The Supervisory Board has also decided to expand the Management Board by adding a Chief Customer Officer; this position will be taken on by Jan Niclas Brandt, who is currently heading the Austrian and Swiss organizations, effective 1 April 2026. The succession of Remko Rijnders as CFO will be decided by the Supervisory Board separately.

Remko Rijnders has been working for MediaMarktSaturn in various management roles for
17 years and has been the Group’s CFO since May 2025. Previously, he served as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group and headed the operating business in the BeNeLux countries (Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg) – where he also held the position of General Managing Director – as well as in Spain, Poland, and Türkiye.

Since 1 April 2024, Jan Niclas Brandt has been CEO of Austria and Switzerland. Before that, he was Chief Commercial Officer at MediaMarkt Austria and VP Corporate Strategy at MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group.

Christoph Vilanek, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of CECONOMY AG, said: “As much as we regret the departure of Kai-Ulrich Deissner, we are equally pleased to be able to appoint an outstanding new CEO in Remko Rijnders. Rijnders has actively helped shape the company’s strategy in recent years and, as part of the Management Board, has given key initiatives. He has excellent operational and strategic experience and will provide the company with continuity for the next chapter of growth. With Jan Niclas Brandt as Chief Customer Officer, we are delivering on our strategic ambition to put our customers at the center. The Management Board will from now on actively shape the transition until 30 June 2026.”

Remko Rijnders, current CFO and future CEO of CECONOMY AG, said: “I would like to thank the Supervisory Board for their trust – and above all our teams for their great performance in recent years. We have achieved a lot, but our ambitions remain high, because we want to actively shape and lead the market in Europe. Kai-Ulrich Deissner has laid the groundwork for this – my sincere thanks to him for that and for the excellent collaboration.”

Jan Niclas Brandt, designated Chief Customer Officer of CECONOMY AG, said: “Customer focus is an integral part of our strategy. As we advance on our journey from a traditional retailer to an omnichannel service platform, we will place our customers’ needs even more firmly at the center of everything we do. I would like to thank the Supervisory Board for their trust and I look forward to continuing to shape this journey together.”

Kai-Ulrich Deissner, CEO of CECONOMY AG, said: "It is an honour to lead this company, and I am fully committed to ensuring a seamless handover in the coming weeks. I have immense confidence in Remko and the entire leadership team. I am certain that the company is in the best possible hands."