Dr Maximilian Preisser studied law at Bucerius Law School in Hamburg and at the University of Oxford. After obtaining his doctorate at Bucerius Law School and working as a solicitor in Hamburg, he joined Hubert Burda Media in 2017. There he took on various legal management roles and was appointed General Counsel in 2020. In 2022, he was elected to the Supervisory Board of HolidayCheck Group AG, in 2023 to the Supervisory Board of IhreApotheken GmbH & Co. KGaA, and in 2025 to the Supervisory Board of New Work SE. In 2026, he was appointed to the Executive Board for equity investments, M&A, legal, compliance and sustainability.

Lydia Rullkötter studied business administration at WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management as well as in Paris and Toronto. She began her professional career at the international management consultancy McKinsey & Company. Since 2012, she has held various management positions at Hubert Burda Media. She initially served as Director of Finance & Operations at Burda Intermedia Publishing, then as Director of Corporate Controlling at the holding company, and took over as Managing Director of Burda Services in 2022. Most recently, she served as Co-CEO of Burda Forward, where she played a key role in shaping the strategic and economic development of the digital publishing business. In 2026, she succeeded Holger Eckstein as CFO.

Christian Teichmann joined the executive board of Hubert Burda Media in 2026, heading up the newly formed area Venture & Networks. In this role, he oversees Burda Principal Investments (BPI), the DLD conference network, and the development of new growth areas.
Since 2015, he has built the international investments unit, Burda Principal Investments (BPI), as managing director and CEO. Under his leadership, BPI has partnered with visionary entrepreneurs at companies such as Bloom & Wild, Moneybox, Nord Security, and Vinted. Before joining Burda, Christian held investment banking roles at Lazard and Greenhill—then helped technology, media, and telecommunications companies build their businesses through growth and investment strategies as a partner at Solon Management Consulting. 
 
In addition to his position on the Burda executive board, Christian continues as CEO of BPI and is currently part of the supervisory boards of Bloom & Wild, Kaleidoscope, Imperia and Uluu. He holds degrees in economics from the Universidad Pontificia Comillas and the ESB Business School at Reutlingen University and is a Harvard Business School alumnus.

Eli Varn began her professional career at strategy consultancy Booz Allen Hamilton, specializing in the media and entertainment sector. In this role, she worked primarily on international projects across Europe, Russia, and the Middle East. 

In 2009, she joined Burda as Director Operations. From 2015 onwards, she served as Managing Director of Burda Magazine Holding, where she was responsible for the strategic and operational development of the company's magazine business in Germany. In 2021, she became CFO and COO of BurdaVerlag, and at the end of 2022 she joined its executive management team before later assuming joint leadership of BurdaVerlag as Co-CEO alongside Manuela Kampp-Wirtz. 

In this role, Eli Varn was responsible for key business units and corporate functions. Under her leadership, BurdaVerlag significantly advanced the digital transformation of its brands and pioneered the use of artificial intelligence across editorial and commercial processes. 

On July 1, 2026, Eli Varn was appointed to Burda’s Executive Board, assuming responsibility for the company’s German media business. Drawing on her extensive experience in publishing, transformation, and technology, she is shaping the future development of Burda’s publishing operations. She was also appointed to the Executive Board of the German Publishers and Digital Publishers Association (MVFP) effective July 1, 2026. In addition, she serves on the Board of Directors of Immediate Media, Burda's UK-based publishing company.