Effective July 1, 2023 and in addition to his current role as Chief Information Officer (CIO), Karl Markgraf appointed to lead the FTI Group as Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
MUNICH – Change of leadership at Europe’s third-largest tour operator: From 1 July 2023, the FTI Group will be led by Karl Markgraf. He will become Managing Director, take over the position of CEO of the group and retain his position as CIO, thus steering the GROUP in a dual function. At the same time, the company is reshaping the Supervisory Board: Wolfgang Altmüller and Dr Florian Amereller are leaving the Board. They will be replaced by Naguib S. Sawiris, controlling shareholder of the FTI GROUP, who will take over the Chairman role, and Ralph Schiller, the former CEO of the FTI Group, who will take over a new role as Deputy Chairman.
Strengthening the top to accelerate the digital transformation
With his expertise, Karl Markgraf’s main task in the new role is to drive the digital transformation of the group, explains Naguib S. Sawiris: “As a globally active, data-driven company, digital transformation is crucial to our success. Karl Markgraf’s extensive experience in IT and digitalization makes him the ideal person to lead our company into the future and ensure the effectiveness of ongoing change initiatives. His dual role as CEO and CIO will be instrumental in accelerating our ambitious transformation efforts. I extend my warm congratulations to Karl Markgraf on his appointment and wish him every success in this new task.”
Thanking Ralph Schiller for his time on the board, the shareholder said: “I want to express my sincere gratitude to Ralph for his unwavering leadership through challenging times. He has led the FTI Group with loyalty and dedication, overcoming significant obstacles, and driving growth. I am delighted that we will continue to benefit from his invaluable industry knowledge in his new capacity.”
Broad experience for sustainable growth of the group in the digital sector
Karl Markgraf has been responsible for overhauling the digital landscape of the FTI Group as CIO since July 2022. The business administration graduate previously worked for the software company TeamViewer in Göppingen. There, as CIO and COO, he managed the IT landscape, IT security, digitalisation, eCommerce and procurement processes, quality management and global technical support. Prior to that, he spent twenty years at the E.ON Group in various management roles, most recently as Managing Director of the company’s global IT and Shared Service Organisation.
New composition of the Supervisory Board
The Supervisory Board, which was originally formed in June 2021, will be recomposed by the FTI Group. Wolfgang Altmüller and Dr Florian Amereller will leave the board on 30 June 2023. Naguib S. Sawiris will take over the Chairmanship of the Board at the beginning of July, sending a clear signal of shareholder commitment. Ralph Schiller replaces Dr. Amereller as Deputy Chairman. The employee member of the supervisory board – previously Katrin Kretschmer – will be newly elected in mid-2023. Naguib S. Sawiris comments: “We would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to the outgoing members of the council, in particular the previous Chairman Wolfgang Altmüller.”
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She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
