Dr. Bernd Schröder to take over management of DirectGroup Germany from Fernando Carro

• Planned changeover at the top of the German club operations
• Fernando Carro to concentrate on duties as CEO of DirectGroup Bertelsmann and managing director of DirectGroup Spain
• Carro: “This ensures continuity of staff and strategy"

Dr. Bernd Schröder (43) will take over the management of DirectGroup Germany with effect from 1 September 2009. The company is comprised of Der Club Bertelsmann, the IT service provider Nionex, and Direct Sales operations such as viaSol Travel. Schröder currently serves as Director Sales, Cooperations, New Member Marketing and Corporate Development. He will continue to report to Fernando Carro, who will retain responsibility for Germany on the DirectGroup Board. Carro will concentrate on his duties as CEO of DirectGroup Bertelsmann with its operations in 16 countries, and as managing director of DirectGroup Spain.

“Bernd Schröder is both a strategic thinker and an experienced manager with a keen eye for operations,” declared Fernando Carro. “He is deeply involved in DirectGroup’s German businesses. In recent years, as part of its management board, he has supervised important projects for the future, such as the founding of the travel company viaSol and the opening and retrofitting of the chain of club stores,” he added. “Bernd will now continue his successful work in partnership with the DirectGroup Germany management team in his new role as managing director. The fact that a longstanding member of the company's management team will succeed me is an expression of continuity of strategy and staff at DirectGroup Germany.”

Schröder will continue to develop the strategy of opening and diversifying the business with his colleagues in the company’s management board: “Since 2006, we have developed and put into practice a wide-ranging process of change at DirectGroup Germany under Fernando Carro’s leadership – while also generating a positive result three business years in a row,” commented Schröder. “We will jointly continue on this path, to ensure that DirectGroup Germany develops into an open, leading-edge media provider for all. We will successfully apply our direct-marketing expertise to additional markets and other products.”

The planned management changeover will not entail any major changes to DirectGroup Germany’s organisation. The DirectGroup Germany management team will thus consist of Dr. Bernd Schröder, Christoph Mittendorf (Commercial Director), Anita Offel-Grohmann (Programme), Dirk Suda (Marketing, IT and Operations, Direct C and Nionex) and Simone Thiäner (HR).