Daniel Steil leaves BurdaForward after 15 years

Daniel Steil, Managing Director of BurdaForward, is leaving the company on 1 August 2026. Over his 15 years with the company, he played a decisive role in shaping the journalistic, technological and commercial development of the digital publisher. 

As Editor-in-Chief, Steil led Focus online to the top of Germany’s news portals. He was an early driver of its consistent mobile focus and app business, developed Focus online into the video portal with the widest reach among German news sites, and built millions of direct user relationships. 

Together with his team, Steil brought the Huffington Post to Germany and took over its management. For BurdaForward, he founded the publisher network and the Expert Circle, now the largest expert platform among German news portals. He was also a co-initiator of the Constructive World Award. In his role as Managing Director, Steil was also responsible for Chip, TV Spielfilm and bunte.de. Across all its portals, BurdaForward reaches more than 40 million people per month in Germany. 

As Managing Director, Steil placed an early focus on artificial intelligence. Through AI Weeks, AI Tuesday and other initiatives, he promoted the interplay between journalism, product and technology, and contributed to BurdaForward’s development into an innovative media-tech company. In 2025, BurdaForward achieved a record result. 

Marc Al-Hames, Chairman of the Board of Directors: “Daniel Steil has shaped BurdaForward with journalistic passion, entrepreneurial courage and exceptional innovative strength. We would like to thank him most sincerely for his outstanding achievements and for 15 years of invaluable contributions.” 

Daniel Steil: “I look back on 15 extraordinary years with immense gratitude. Together with many outstanding colleagues, I had the privilege of guiding Focus online and BurdaForward through pivotal phases of digital transformation. We turned reach into lasting user relationships, created new journalistic platforms and recognised the opportunities offered by artificial intelligence at an early stage. I am particularly proud that journalism, technology and product now work together so closely. My sincere thanks go to everyone who has accompanied this journey with courage, trust and passion. I wish Burda Media a bright future and the new leadership team every success.”