Bertelsmann : Christian Jünger Named CEO Of Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe

News | Penguin Random House | Munich / New York, 07/10/2024

Christian Jünger Named CEO Of Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe

Christian Jünger will become the new CEO of the German Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe as of October 1. He succeeds Thomas Rathnow, who stepped down from the position in April after resigning for personal reasons. Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe has since been managed on an interim basis by Britta Egetemeier and Thomas Pichler.

Christian Jünger is to become the new Chairman of the Management Board/CEO of the German Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe. As Nihar Malaviya, CEO of Penguin Random House, announced yesterday, Jünger will take up his new position on October 1. Jünger succeeds Thomas Rathnow, who stepped down from the role in April after resigning for personal reasons. Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe has since been managed on an interim basis by Britta Egetemeier and Thomas Pichler.

In his new role, Jünger will lead Verlagsgruppe's strategy to drive its future growth and consolidate its position as leading German-language publisher. As CEO of Verlagsgruppe, he will report to Nihar Malaviya and will sit on Penguin Random House's Global Executive Committee.

Christian Jünger will join Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe from Rowohlt Verlag, where he has supervised Sales, Purchasing/Manufacturing, Controlling, Rights and Licenses, IT, and HR as Managing Director since 2021. Previously, he gained significant experience in the retail book sector at Amazon Germany, where he most recently served as Head of Vendor Management Books, managing the business with specialist and foreign-language books, calendars, and wholesalers.

With his business management know-how, his profound knowledge of the industry and a strong understanding of authors and the creative processes in the publishing business, he has the ideal qualifications to lead Verlagsgruppe into its next phase of growth. For Christian Jünger, his appointment also means a return to Penguin Random House: He began his career as executive assistant to the CEO and manager in corporate development at what was then Verlagsgruppe Random House before advancing to a central role in Bertelsmann's Corporate Development & Growth Regions team.

Nihar Malaviya, CEO of Penguin Random House, said: "I am so pleased for Christian to be joining Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe. His warm style and strategic approach, coupled with his deep appreciation for the societal importance of books and the responsibility of publishers to promote diverse views, are well aligned with our mission and vision. Christian's commitment to elevating our authors and employees, and his focus on strengthening our autonomous and independent imprints, matches perfectly with our goals."

Christian Jünger said: "I'm very excited to return to the place where my professional career began many years ago. With Penguin Random House Verlagsgruppe I associate an immense number of great authors, whose voices are heard not only in Germany, but around the world. Even more I am excited to shape the future of this publishing group in collaboration with the many dedicated colleagues. Above all, we all share the passion for books and content. I'm especially thankful to Nihar Malaviya for his trust in me."

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