What does a company like Burda have to do with protecting biodiversity? What seems inappropriate at first glance is actually the exact opposite. Find out why here.
With a new company structure focused on further growth, Burda is building its company portfolio on two pillars: Burda Media and Burda Equity. All of the Group's German and international publishing and media activities will be bundled at Burda Media, bringing together the business divisions of BurdaVerlag, BurdaForward, BurdaInternational, BurdaDruck, BurdaBroadcast and the C3 agency.
Under the Burda Equity umbrella, all digital investments of Burda and the investment company BurdaPrincipal Investments (BPI) will be consolidated. This area currently includes New Work SE, HolidayCheck, Cyberport, Silkes Weinkeller, Burda Next (including Ghostery, Brave), nebenan.de, and the investment portfolio of BPI, with over 30 active investments in Europe and Asia.
The strategic realignment aims to enable flexible management of the diverse businesses within the Burda Group, optimal market positioning, and the utilisation of synergies across areas. The goal is to accelerate growth across all Burda businesses. Each of the two new business areas will be led by a Chief Executive Officer (CEO), who, along with the Chief Financial Officer (CFO), will form the Burda Executive Board. The new structure will come into effect from June 1, 2025.
“Burda is repositioning itself from a position of strength. By focussing on our media activities and investing in complementary businesses, we are creating the conditions to continue the company's success story in the long term”
Olaf Koch, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Hubert Burda Media
Elisabeth Burda Furtwängler stated:
“Burda has shaped the media industry for many decades and has always successfully evolved with a broad approach. Now, it’s about tapping the full potential of the entire group. We want to preserve what we do well, further develop our business models, and create entirely new ones by leveraging organic and inorganic growth options. We are building on strong brands, a wealth of high-quality content, and the trust of many customers.”
Regarding the investment area, Jacob Burda explained:
“At Burda, we have had great success outside of our traditional media business with companies such as ZooPlus, Vinted and New Work, and with BPI we have a highly respected and successful venture capital group in-house. We now want to build on these successes and establish a second pillar alongside our Media Unit with a clear strategy.”
The CEO for the Burda Media division is currently being determined by the Board of Directors in a selection process. Until the new leadership is in place, the business will continue to be led by Philipp Welte, who will then transition to the Board of Directors. Philipp Welte has been a member of the group’s Executive Board since late 2008; he joined Burda in June 1994. The Board of Directors is the highest strategic management body of the Burda Group, to which the shareholders also belong. From his position in the Board of Directors, Philipp Welte will, at the family’s request, continue his duties as Chairman of the Media Association of the Free Press (MVFP).
Effective June 1, 2025, the Board of Directors appoints Marc Al-Hames as CEO of Burda Equity. Since January 2023, Al-Hames has headed the BurdaCommerce, HolidayCheck, BurdaNext, and Burda Digital Systems divisions on the Executive Board of Hubert Burda Media. The new Executive Board of Hubert Burda Media will include Marc Al-Hames and Philipp Welte (until his transition to the Board of Directors) alongside Holger Eckstein as CFO for the entire group. Holger Eckstein has been a member of Burda's Executive Board since 2009 looking after finance, among other things.
Member of the Executive Board Katharina Herrmann will leave the company by mutual agreement over the summer. Katharina Herrmann joined Burda in 2018 as HR Director and was appointed to the newly created Executive Board position of HR and Compliance in 2022. She also represented Burda as the majority shareholder on the Supervisory Board of New Work SE and was responsible for the C3 agency, Corporate Sustainability and the Burda School of Journalism on Burda's Executive Board.
“On behalf of the family and the entire Board of Directors, I would like to thank Katharina for her highly committed and successful work for our company. Over the past six years, she has fundamentally reorganised the area of HR at Burda and developed the businesses and functions under her direction focused and goal oriented.”
Elisabeth Burda Furtwängler
