As of March 1, 2026, Dr. Boris Ewenstein new chairman of the Otto divisional board. He succeeds Marc Opelt, who is retiring after 35 years in leading positions at the Otto Group. Among other things, Opelt has been Otto’s marketing director since 2012 and chairman of the Otto divisional board since 2018.
Dr. Ewenstein, who has been leading Otto’s retail and marketplace business since May 2024, brings international expertise in e-commerce, including as Senior Vice President Supply at Zalando. Under his leadership, Otto made significant progress in both areas of profitable growth, the company said in a press release. From March 2026, he will also take on responsibility for strategic direction and corporate communications. His future tasks will also include the further development of AI-controlled commerce.
In addition to Dr. Ewenstein is Andrea Becker for Finance, Human Resources & Services and Dr. Michael Müller-Wünsch is represented on the board for the technology sector. In addition, the Otto board of directors is to be strengthened in the new financial year by a further board member for the marketing department, whose appointment is to take place shortly.
Marc Opelt: A successful chapter is coming to an end
Marc Opelt, who started at Otto in 1990 and took over as Chairman of the Board in 2009, is retiring after a remarkable career. Under his leadership, Otto transformed from a traditional online retailer into one of the largest shopping platforms in Germany with more than twelve million active customers, around 6,200 marketplace partners and sales of seven billion euros in the 2024/25 financial year.
Prof. Dr. Michael Otto, Chairman of the Board of Trustees and Shareholders and Honorary Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Otto Group: “Marc Opelt has made a great contribution to Otto and the Otto Group over the last decades. Without Marc Opelt’s commitment and his great specialist knowledge, Otto would not be what it is today: an excellently positioned future company of the Otto Group. I would like to thank him very much for his many years of high commitment to our Group. I wish Marc Opelt always the best of health in the future, joy in his passions and, above all, time with his family.”