The Management Board

Olaf Koch (Foto)
Olaf Koch

Chairman of the Management Board

Areas of responsibility

Corporate Communications, Corporate Public Policy, Corporate Development including strategy and M&A, Corporate Legal Affairs & Compliance, Corporate Office, Corporate Investor Relations, responsibility for the METRO Wholesale country organisations in: Bulgaria, Germany including Rungis Express, Croatia, Moldova, Austria, Serbia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Romania, Ukraine and Hungary, Hospitality Digital, Real.

Profile

Olaf Koch was appointed Chief Executive Officer of METRO AG on 2 March 2017 for a term ending on 1 March 2022. From 14 September 2009 until the end of 2011 he was a member of the Management Board (Chief Financial Officer) of the former METRO AG (now: CECONOMY AG), and from 1 January 2012 to 12 July 2017 he was the Chief Executive Officer of the company. He was previously employed at the financial investor Permira. Following his graduation in business administration, Mr Koch started his career at Daimler-Benz AG in 1994. He was a board member of Mercedes Car Group from 2002 to 2007.

Christian Baier (Foto)
Christian Baier

Chief Financial Officer

Areas of responsibility

Corporate Accounting, Corporate Controlling & Finance, Corporate Risk Management, Corporate Tax, Corporate Treasury, METRO PROPERTIES, METRO LOGISTICS, MIAG, METRO Insurance Broker.

Profile

Christian Baier was appointed member of the Management Board of METRO AG on 11 November 2016 for a term ending on 30 September 2020. He was the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of METRO Cash & Carry from 1 July 2015 to 1 March 2017 and previously held the position of Group Director Strategy, Business Innovation and M&A at the former METRO AG. Mr Baier joined METRO Cash & Carry Germany as a member of the Management Board/Head of Finance and Administration – C+C Schaper – in the year 2011. He holds a BA in business administration and an MBA from New York University and was previously employed at the finance investor Permira and a number of banks.

Heiko Hutmacher (Foto)
Heiko Hutmacher

Chief Human Resources Officer and Labour Director

Areas of responsibility

Human Resources (Campus HR, Compensation, Benefits & International Assignment, Global Talent Management & Recruiting, HR Operations & Leadership, Labour Relations Germany & Labour Law), Corporate Responsibility, Global Business Services, Group Internal Audit, METRO-NOM, METRO SERVICES.

Profile

Heiko Hutmacher has worked in his position as member of the Management Board since 2 March 2017 and was appointed Chief Human Resources Officer and Labour Director of METRO AG on 31 August 2017 for a term ending on 30 September 2020. He was a member of the Management Board of the former METRO AG (now: CECONOMY AG) from 1 October 2011 to 12 July 2017 and held the position of Chief Human Resources Officer. From April 2012 to June 2015, Mr Hutmacher headed the Human Resources Department at METRO Cash & Carry. Mr Hutmacher holds a degree in business administration. His experience in human resources spans over 30 years, including posts at IBM and Akzo Nobel.

Philippe Palazzi (Foto)
Philippe Palazzi

Chief Operating Officer

Areas of responsibility

METRO Wholesale centralised functions (Digital Transformation, Expansion & Investment, Food Service Distribution, Global Branding & Activation, Global Business & Supplier Management, Global Food Sourcing, Global Non-Food, Global Own Brand Management, International Expansion, Quality Assurance, Supply Chain Management, Trader Franchise), responsibility for the METRO Wholesale country organisations in: Belgium, China, France including Pro à Pro, India, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain and Turkey, Classic Fine Foods, METRO ADVERTISING, METRO SOURCING International.

Profile

Philippe Palazzi was appointed member of the Management Board of METRO AG on 7 May 2018 for a term ending on 30 September 2021. From 1 July 2015 to 6 May 2018, he held the position of the Operating Partner with responsibility for METRO France including Pro à Pro, MAKRO Spain and MAKRO Portugal. He previously held the position of Chief Customer and Marketing Officer at METRO AG and various posts at the METRO country organisations, most recently as Chief Executive Officer of METRO Italy.