The Oetker-Group, parent company of Germany’s largest brewing group Radeberger Gruppe, will implement a major leadership transition on 1 May 2025. Dr. Albert Christmann, 62, steps down from his role as personally liable partner of Dr. August Oetker KG and as chairman of the international management board of Dr. August Oetker Nahrungsmittel KG. He will join the advisory board of Dr. August Oetker KG, the group’s supervisory body, succeeding Richard Oetker, 74.
His successor in the group’s top executive role will be Carl Oetker, 42, marking a return of a family member to the operational leadership of the Bielefeld-based conglomerate. While members of the Oetker family have long held positions in the group’s advisory board, this move places a fifth-generation descendant of founder Dr. August Oetker at the head of the executive management.
Carl Oetker will become personally liable partner of Dr. August Oetker KG, assuming overall responsibility for the holding company and taking over Christmann’s operational duties in the international management board of Dr. August Oetker Nahrungsmittel KG. His new responsibilities will include corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, procurement, and corporate communication. Additionally, he will mentor operations in Germany and the Benelux region. After studying in Maastricht, Turin, and London, Carl Oetker worked in international consulting and investment firms before joining the group in 2020. He has since held various leadership roles, especially in procurement and regional business units.
Dr. Niels Lorenz, 53, will also join the executive management on 1 May 2025. He will assume responsibility for the beer and non-alcoholic beverage sectors—including Radeberger Group and flaschenpost SE—as well as digital platforms and ecosystems. Lorenz served as CEO of Radeberger Group from 2013 to 2020 and has held supervisory positions at both beverage companies since 2020. He will now chair both supervisory boards in addition to his executive role.
Ute Gerbaulet, 56, will continue her responsibilities for the business areas “Other Interests,” participatory controlling, finance, group accounting, legal, tax, and treasury.
Rudolf Louis Schweizer, Chair of the advisory board of Dr. August Oetker KG and also a descendant of the Oetker family, praised Dr. Christmann’s 34 years of leadership and expressed gratitude for his continued support as a board member. He also welcomed the generational shift at the executive level, highlighting the significance of Carl Oetker’s expanded role in continuing the entrepreneurial legacy of the family.
