The hypermarket store chain real,- is currently making changes to the management team. Chief Financial Officer Henning Giesecke and Chief Merchandise Officer Patrick Müller-Sarmiento now jointly assume chairmanship of the Board.
The previous chairman Didier Fleury, will take on a new strategic role in the METRO GROUP and will report directly to Olaf Koch, Chairman of the Management Board of METRO AG. “Didier Fleury has done excellent work for real,- over the past few years”, said Koch, who chairs the Supervisory Board of real,-. “Under his leadership, the company has stabilized and basis was laid for the modernization of the business in Germany. In close cooperation with Didier Fleury, we have come to the decision that this is the right moment to establish a change in the leadership of real,-. With Henning Gieseke and Patrick Müller-Sarmiento we have two experienced leaders and retail experts, whose work for real,- will ensure that they have the capabilities and competence to lead the company on its current course, and to provide extra impulses. This will secure the continuity required for our success and also allow us to find new ways to improve.”
real,- will now have four leaders instead of five: Henning Gieseke and Patrick Müller-Sarmiento will continue to operate in their respective current roles alongside their new roles as Chairmen of the Management Board. The management team will be completed with Jörg Kramer (Personnel) and Frank Kretzschmar (Chief Operations Officer).
Fleury, 60, joined the METRO GROUP 2008 as Chairman of the Management Board at Real International. In August 2012 he took over the Chairmanship of the Management Board of Real Deutschland.
Henning Gieseke (44) has been working for METRO GROUP since 1997, and had among various management roles he was Investor Relations function from 2005 to 2010. In 2012 he started Corporate Controlling at METRO AG, before becoming CFO of real,- in 2013.
Patrick Müller-Sarmiento (42) started his career in the coffee trade and has been a member of the Management Board of real,- since October 2012. Prior to this he worked as Management Consultant, focusing primarily on Consumer Goods and Retail space, and in this role he contributed to various major projects.