CTS EVENTIM appoints Karel Dörner to the Management Board as Chief Technology Officer

CTS EVENTIM appoints Karel Dörner to the Management Board as Chief Technology Officer

Hamburg, 20 November 2024 – CTS EVENTIM, the number one provider of ticketing services and live entertainment in Europe and number two in the world, is appointing Karel Dörner to the Management Board as Chief Technology Officer (CTO), effective 1 January 2025. Dörner, an experienced top-level manager, led McKinsey Digital Labs in Western Europe for many years and was one of the co-founders of eBay Europe. CTS EVENTIM announced the Supervisory Board’s decision on the appointment today.

In the newly created position, Dörner will be responsible for the technological backbone of the market-leading ticketing company, for the ongoing digitalization of its business processes, and for the further development of its data-driven business models. He will also oversee the technological evaluation and, where relevant, the integration of new Group members, as well as the extensive implementation of (generative) AI as a key component of the company’s future success. When Dörner takes office on 1 January, he will assume responsibility for the Group’s technology-focused units: IT, Product, and Information Science. Managing Director Christoph Bodi, who has been leading the internal IT unit CTS EVENTIM Solutions for 14 years with great success, will remain in position and report to the new CTO. The same applies to Chief Product Officer James Brooke and to the Information Science management team. With the expansion of the top management team, COO Alexander Ruoff, who is currently responsible for IT and Product and has actively assisted with the creation of the new C-level position, will gain more time to intensify his focus on the company’s extensive international development.

Adding a CTO to the Management Board is part of CTS EVENTIM’s dynamic national and international growth trajectory. Ruoff, who successfully led and expanded the technology side of the business for many years, has been increasingly occupied with internationalising the Group’s activities, integrating new Group members into the organisation, and coordinating the global operative ticketing business. With the appointment of proven digital expert Dörner, the Management Board is ideally positioned to further accelerate growth, innovation, and organisational development now and in the future.

Dörner is considered one of Germany’s leading experts for the digital transformation and for developing digital business models. In the same year as he graduated with a master’s in business administration from WHU Koblenz and temporarily joined McKinsey as a consultant, he and some friends founded the startup alando.de, which he led as CFO and CTO until 2000. That company is better known as eBay Europe. With the founding of aventeon.com and his role there as CEO, Dörner went on to build another successful company, which is still active today. In 2006, he returned to McKinsey, rising to Senior Partner and member of the Digital & Analytics Global Leadership Team. During this time, he also spent a year as interim CTO at MediaMarktSaturn Holding. As a member of the CTS EVENTIM Management Board, Dörner will enrich his new role with his extensive experience as a consultant on numerous complex projects for major companies, his outstanding entrepreneurial spirit and his ability to spot trends early and put them to economic use.

Dr. Bernd Kundrun, Chair of the Supervisory Board, CTS EVENTIM: “I’m delighted that Karel is joining CTS EVENTIM as the new CTO. He will help strengthen our technological foundation for even more dynamic growth. The Supervisory Board thanks Alexander Ruoff for his outstanding work overseeing technology these past years. Through his leadership, the CTS EVENTIM system landscape has become the industry’s undisputed benchmark for performance and reliability. Now relieved of these duties, Alexander will be able to once again focus his energy fully on other crucial areas such as expanding our global activities.”

Klaus-Peter Schulenberg, CEO, CTS EVENTIM: “I’d like to extend a warm welcome to Karel on behalf of the entire Management Board. I’m very much looking forward to working with him. With his proven expertise and his entrepreneurial skills, Karel is a valuable addition to our management team. He will bring fresh impetus to the company and, together with all our employees, ensure that thousands of promoters and millions of fans worldwide will be able to continue relying on our ticketing services every day.”

Karel Dörner, designated CTO, CTS EVENTIM: “I’m grateful to the Supervisory Board for putting their trust in me, and to Klaus for his support. I’m excited to get started in this new role. CTS EVENTIM is a global player with big ambitions. Together with my future team, I’ll be working to further strengthen the technological foundation for the company’s continued growth, to bring innovative ideas to market, and to make our systems more user-friendly for both our B2B customers and the fans over the long term.”

About CTS EVENTIM

CTS EVENTIM is the number one provider of ticketing services in Europe and number two in the world. Over 300 million tickets per year are marketed using the Company’s systems – through physical box offices and mobile/online portals. According to Pollstar’s global rankings for 2023, the EVENTIM Group is the second-biggest promoter in the world. In addition, CTS EVENTIM operates some of Europe’s most renowned venues. CTS Eventim AG & Co. KGaA (ISIN DE 0005470306) has been listed on the stock exchange since 2000 and is a member of the MDAX segment. In 2023, the Group generated revenue of EUR 2.4 billion across more than 25 countries.
 

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Christian Colmorgen
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