Habets to lead ProSiebenSat.1
October 4, 2022
The Supervisory Board of ProSiebenSat.1 Media has resolved on a change in the chair of the Executive Board of ProSiebenSat.1 Media: Bert Habets will take over as chairperson of the Executive Board (Group CEO) of ProSiebenSat.1 Media on November 1st. He has already been involved with ProSiebenSat.1 as a member of the Supervisory Board since May 2022. Habets has in-depth experience in managing global media companies as well as extensive expertise in launching and expanding video streaming services.
Rainer Beaujean, current Group CEO of ProSiebenSat.1, has resigned from his office effective immediately by mutual agreement with the Supervisory Board.
Further, the Supervisory Board of ProSiebenSat.1 had already decided in summer to extend the Executive Board contracts of Christine Scheffler and Wolfgang Link from January 1st 2023 by five years each until the end of 2027. Both have been on the Group’s Executive Board since March 2020. Scheffler will continue to be responsible for HR, Compliance & Sustainability. Link remains responsible for the Entertainment segment. Group CFO Ralf Peter Gierig will continue to be responsible for Finance. Habets will be responsible for the Commerce & Ventures and Dating & Video segments, among others.
Dr. Andreas Wiele, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of ProSiebenSat.1 Media, commented: “With Bert Habets, one of the most distinguished and successful media managers in Europe is taking over as Group CEO of ProSiebenSat.1. Bert Habets will intensively contribute his comprehensive TV and digital expertise and transformation experience to further advance the development of ProSiebenSat.1 into a digital group. He will thus make a significant contribution to ProSiebenSat.1’s growth plans. At the same time, the contract extensions of Christine Scheffler and Wolfgang Link are a clear sign of our recognition for their excellent work. We are convinced that ProSiebenSat.1 is also excellently positioned for the future with this Executive Board team.”
Habets said: “I know well the challenges and opportunities that arise for media and digital companies in their transformation. I am therefore very pleased to bring this experience to ProSiebenSat.1 and to successfully drive this exciting company forward together with my colleagues on the Executive Board and the approximately 7,800 employees.”
Wiele added: “The Supervisory Board thanks Rainer Beaujean for his great commitment. He has steered the company purposefully through the Corona crisis and, over the last three years, further developed the Group’s strategy in the direction of a digital company and implemented it consistently and successfully. Rainer has focused on profitability and positioned the company financially for the future, amongst other things through consistent portfolio management. We wish him the best for the future.”
Beaujean said: “ProSiebenSat.1 is on the right track to becoming a successful digital company, whereby in particular the dovetailing of the recently fully acquired streaming platform Joyn with the Influencer Business and the brands from the Dating & Video segment and the Commerce & Ventures segment should significantly improve the Group’s digital capabilities. However, the past few years have also been characterized by numerous external factors that have significantly impacted our business. I am proud of what we have achieved as a team. I would like to thank my colleagues on the Executive Board and above all the employees of ProSiebenSat.1, but also the members of the Supervisory Board and Advisory Board, who have closely supported the many important decisions of recent years.”
As a result of Bert Habets’ transition from the Supervisory Board to the Group Executive Board, his seat on the Supervisory Board will become vacant and is to be filled at the latest in the course of the next ProSiebenSat.1 Annual General Meeting on May 2nd 2023.
Between 1999 and 2019, Habets worked at RTL Group, based in Luxembourg. In his role as CEO of RTL Group, he was responsible for the strategic direction and operational management of Broadcast, TV Production (Fremantle) and Digital Business. In the Netherlands, he launched the video streaming service Videoland, followed by the launch of other streaming services across RTL Group. Habets was CEO of RTL Nederland from 2008 to 2017.