The Management Board
At METRO GROUP, we’re always open to inspiration. We’re curious about new trends, give creative ideas the decisive spin and put tomorrow’s technologies to work today – all in the interest of continually developing our company.
Making of video
This is also true of the Management Board of METRO AG. At the photo shoot for this year’s annual report, the members boldly shifted into the third dimension. With great enthusiasm for the pioneering 3D printing technology, Olaf Koch, Pieter C. Boone, Mark Frese, Pieter Haas and Heiko Hutmacher had themselves cast as three-dimensional models. A scan was first made of each member of the Management Board. From the digital data sets, the 3D printer then produced figures roughly 25 centimetres in height out of hard plastic, layer by layer. The resulting portrait of the Management Board embodies what’s important to us: adaptability, an innovative spirit and trust in new technologies.
Perspectives on a financial year
Olaf Koch, Chairman of the Management Board
“We can only achieve true customer focus …
… if we establish great proximity and constantly look for ways to strive for the best solutions. To be able to do this even better, we localised and focused our business even more during the reporting year and considerably expanded our activities in the area of innovation.”_
Responsibilities
Corporate Communications, Group Strategy, Corporate M&A, Corporate Legal Affairs & Compliance, Corporate Office, Corporate Public Policy, Digital Horeca, Business Innovation/New Ventures, METRO Cash & Carry (until 30 September 2015), Real
Profile
Olaf Koch took over as Chairman of the Management Board of METRO AG on 1 January 2012 and is appointed until 13 September 2018. In addition, he was CEO of METRO Cash & Carry until 30 September 2015, a position he held jointly with Pieter C. Boone from 1 July 2015. The 45-year-old joined the Management Board of METRO AG as CFO in September 2009. He previously worked for the financial investor Permira. Koch, who holds a degree in business administration, launched his career in 1994 at Daimler-Benz AG. From 2002 to 2007, he was a member of the Executive Board of Mercedes Car Group.
Pieter C. Boone, Member of the Management Board
“We at METRO Cash & Carry aim to be …
… a true champion for independent business – that demands feeling and acting like an entrepreneur. Consequently, in financial year 2014/15, we introduced a new operating model to give more empowerment to our national subsidiaries. Value creation is local, and proximity to our customers and business partners is the key. This results in more freedom of discretion, more flexibility and a higher speed of implementation on site.”_
Responsibilities
METRO Cash & Carry (as part of the management succession process, Mr Koch and Mr Boone were jointly responsible for the METRO Cash & Carry Board department from 1 July to 30 September 2015)
Profile
Pieter C. Boone has been a member of the Management Board of METRO AG since 1 July 2015 and is appointed until 30 June 2018. The 48-year-old has been with METRO GROUP since 2011. In March 2012, he was appointed Managing Director of METRO Cash & Carry Russia. He previously held various management positions at the Dutch trading company SHV Holdings in Peru, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia.
Mark Frese, Chief Financial Officer
“We had set out to further bolster the balance sheet of METRO GROUP and reduce debt.
Once again, we’ve achieved both of these goals during this financial year. As a result, we had greater leeway for doing business and were able, for instance, to make some attractive acquisitions. What is almost even more important is that we can now once again spend our financial as well as human resources on precisely those activities with which we expect to generate maximum value added.”_
Responsibilities
Group Finance (Corporate Planning & Controlling, Corporate Treasury, Corporate Group Financial Services), Corporate Accounting, Global Business Services, Corporate Group Tax, Corporate Investor Relations, Corporate Risk Management & Internal Control Finance, Galeria Kaufhof (until 30 September 2015), METRO PROPERTIES, MIB METRO GROUP Insurance Broker, METRO LOGISTICS
Profile
Mark Frese was named Chief Financial Officer of METRO AG on 1 January 2012. The 51-year-old is appointed until 31 December 2017. In addition, he served as CFO of METRO Cash & Carry from April 2012 to July 2015. Frese has worked for METRO GROUP since 1994. After serving in various management positions at former group subsidiary Galeria Kaufhof, he was appointed to the position of Head of Planning & Controlling at METRO AG in 2009. In September 2010, he took over as CFO of METRO Cash & Carry Europe/MENA.
Pieter Haas, Member of the Management Board
“I measure our progress largely by the fact …
… that we have advanced far along the road towards becoming a digital commerce company. The point is to see the full range of digitalisation instead of just regarding it in the context of a web shop or a mobile shop. What this means is that we use digital technologies in our stores, where we sell more and more digital products and communicate even more strongly with our customers using digital media. Plus, we are specifically looking for new digital business models.”_
Responsibilities
Media-Saturn
Profile
Pieter Haas has been a member of the Management Board since 1 April 2013 and is appointed until 31 March 2019. He has been Vice Chairman of the Management Board of Media-Saturn-Holding GmbH since 6 May 2014. He had already worked for the sales line. In 2001, he took on the role of managing director at the sales line’s Dutch subsidiary. Haas was appointed to the management board of Media-Saturn-Holding GmbH as COO in 2008. In the ten years leading up to his career at Media-Saturn, the 52-year-old businessman held leading positions at various companies.
Heiko Hutmacher, Chief Human Resources Officer
“The further development of METRO GROUP …
… would not be possible without a comprehensive transformation of our corporate culture. From the beginning, there was no doubt that such a process requires the active commitment of executives and employees alike. I’m all the more pleased that we’ve already advanced considerably along our path and that the cultural change is being carried by the staff. We’ve become a more open and courageous company. And we’re able to respond to changes faster.”_
Responsibilities
Human Resources (HR Campus, Corporate House of Learning, Corporate Performance & Rewards, Executive Resources, Group Labour Relations & Labour Law, HR Operations, HR Processes, Analytics & Projects, Talent Management, Leadership & Change), Corporate IT Management, Group Internal Audit, Sustainability & Regulatory Affairs, METRO SYSTEMS, MGT METRO GROUP Travel Services
Profile
Heiko Hutmacher has been a member of the Management Board of METRO AG since October 2011 with responsibility for Human Resources. From April 2012 to June 2015, the 58-year-old also oversaw human resources at METRO Cash & Carry. The businessman has more than 30 years of experience in human resources management, including at IBM and Akzo Nobel. Heiko Hutmacher is appointed until 30 September 2017.