Otto Group Announces Leadership Transition with Benjamin Otto Assuming Strategic Responsibility from Michael Otto

Otto Group Announces Leadership Transition with Benjamin Otto Assuming Strategic Responsibility from Michael Otto

(IN BRIEF) Benjamin Otto will assume primary responsibility for the Otto Group on 1 March, becoming Chair of both the Foundation Board and the Shareholders’ Council and taking charge of the company’s strategic direction. The leadership transition marks the conclusion of more than five decades of influence by Prof. Dr. Michael Otto, who transformed the family-founded Otto-Versand into a global digital retail and services group with €15 billion in revenue and 35 000 employees. Benjamin Otto brings extensive entrepreneurial experience and a vision focused on digital transformation, AI integration and sustainable business practices. He will work alongside the Executive Board, Supervisory Board and Shareholders’ Council to implement the Agenda 2030 strategy. The transition also includes several new appointments to supervisory bodies, reinforcing expertise in technology, investment and social innovation while positioning the Otto Group for future growth.

(PRESS RELEASE) HAMBURG, 24-Feb-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — The Otto Group will enter a new phase of leadership on 1 March as Benjamin Otto assumes primary responsibility for the company’s strategic direction. He will take on the roles of Chair of the Foundation Board and Chair of the Shareholders’ Council, overseeing the long-term strategy of the international retail and services group. This planned generational transition concludes a period of leadership shaped by Prof. Dr. Michael Otto, who guided the company’s development for decades.

Prof. Dr. Michael Otto, entrepreneur, philanthropist and honorary citizen of Hamburg, has been associated with the company for 55 years. During that time, he transformed the family-founded Otto-Versand business, established by Werner Otto, into a global digital retail and services group generating approximately €15 billion in annual revenue and employing around 35 000 people. Having previously served as Chair of the Executive Board and later as Chair of the Supervisory Board, as well as leading the Foundation and Shareholders’ Council, he will now transfer his remaining responsibilities to the third generation while continuing as Honorary Chair of the Supervisory Board.

At the age of 82, Dr. Otto plans to dedicate more time to philanthropic initiatives supported through the Michael Otto Foundation. The foundation uses dividend income from its majority holding in the Otto Group to finance projects addressing social, environmental and community challenges. Dr. Otto expressed confidence in his son’s leadership and his ability to guide the business in line with both its commercial ambitions and its long-standing values.

Benjamin Otto, an entrepreneur, impact investor and philanthropist, will direct the Group’s strategic development through its supervisory bodies. Beginning on 1 March, he will also become Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Michael Otto Foundation, which holds a controlling interest in the Otto Group. In addition, he will lead the Shareholders’ Council, which is responsible for defining and monitoring the Group’s strategic objectives.

The 50-year-old business administration graduate has spent more than two decades building companies in sectors including retail, electrical engineering, fashion and real estate development. He joined the Otto Group in 2012 as Managing Director of the e-commerce start-up Collins, which later evolved into the fashion and technology platform About You. Since 2015, he has served on the Supervisory Board and as Vice Chair of the Foundation and Shareholders’ Council.

Benjamin Otto represents a new generation of leadership combining entrepreneurship with social and environmental engagement. He aims to guide the company through technological and cultural transformation while building on its established strengths. His vision includes advancing digital capabilities, strengthening resilience and fostering a collaborative corporate culture that balances technological progress with human values.

As part of shaping the Group’s future direction, Benjamin Otto will work closely with the Executive Board led by Petra Scharner-Wolff, the Supervisory Board chaired by Alexander Birken and the Shareholders’ Council supported by Chief of Staff Tom Korn. Together they will continue implementing the Agenda 2030 strategy and advancing the company’s long-term vision.

Several new appointments will strengthen the Group’s supervisory bodies. Elisabeth L’Orange, equity partner for AI and data at Deloitte Consulting, will join the Shareholders’ Council alongside Florian Heinemann, Managing Director at Project A Ventures Management, and Benjamin Schaper, Managing Director of GFH. Sergio Bucher, who will step down from the Executive Board at the end of February, will become a member of the Supervisory Board. Janina Lin Otto, entrepreneur and member of the foundation’s Board of Trustees, will also join the Supervisory Board, succeeding Benjamin Otto and contributing her experience in social innovation initiatives including LIFE HAMBURG, holi.social and the Academy of LIFE.

Benjamin Otto emphasized his commitment to entrepreneurship and long-term value creation, expressing confidence that collaboration with the management team and employees will support the transformation of the Otto Group into a fully digital and AI-driven organisation. He underlined the importance of combining technological progress with social responsibility and maintaining a focus on sustainable, long-term success consistent with the company’s family heritage.

About Otto Group

With a strong heritage as a family business and firmly rooted values, the Otto Group is looking to the future with confidence. Over the past 75 years, the company has developed from a catalog-based mail order company into an international digital retail and services group with 36,300 employees and a large number of key companies, brands and holdings in over thirty countries, primarily in Germany, the rest of Europe and North America. Its business activities extend to the Platforms, Brand Concepts, Retailers, Services and Financial Services segments. In the 2024/25 financial year (ending February 28), the Otto Group generated revenues of 15 billion euros. As the largest online retailer of European origin, it is shaping the digital retail and digital services of the future by drawing on its strength, market significance and values. Driven by a passionate and entrepreneurial performance culture, the Group is exploiting its vast market expertise and technological competence to inspire its many millions of customers with high-quality products, unique choice of goods and an array of services. The Otto Group is proof that a value-oriented approach and business success can go hand in hand. Environmental protection has been another corporate objective since 1986. It takes its ecological, social and digital responsibility seriously – and will continue to do so.

Media Contacts:

Annette Siragusano
+49 40 6461 3982
annette.siragusano@ottogroup.com

Martin Zander
+49 40 6461 2820
martin.zander@ottogroup.com

Thomas Voigt
+49 40 6461 4010
thomas.voigt@ottogroup.com

SOURCE: Otto Group