Advanced Television

RTL Deutschland names new management board

April 24, 2026

Following the European Commission’s announcement that it has approved RTL Group’s acquisition of Sky Deutschland, RTL Group has announced changes to the Management Board of RTL Deutschland. The newly formed management team will comprise representatives from both companies.

As previously announced at the end of June 2025 with the planned acquisition of Sky Deutschland, Stephan Schmitter will lead the company as CEO.

Upon closing of the transaction, which is expected on June 1st, Elke Walthelm and Michael Radelsberger of Sky Deutschland will be appointed to the Management Board of RTL Deutschland: Elke Walthelm, currently Chief Operating Officer of Sky Deutschland, will take on the role of Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at RTL Deutschland, heading the People & Culture department and thus playing a central role in the integration of the two companies. Michael Radelsberger, currently Managing Director of Sky Austria and Sky Media, will assume the role of Chief Consumer Officer, taking responsibility for the pay business, with around 12.3 million paying subscribers across RTL+, Sky and WOW.

Julia Kloke, currently CFO at Bertelsmann’s financial services provider Riverty, will become the new CFO of RTL Deutschland with effect from May 1st.

Ingrid Heisserer, currently CFO and CHRO of RTL Deutschland, and Carsten Schwecke, currently Chief Commercial, Tech & Data Officer of RTL Deutschland, will leave the company on good terms.

Frank Vogel, Managing Director of RTL Deutschland’s advertising sales house, Ad Alliance, will report directly to Schmitter going forward.

Andreas Fischer, Inga Leschek and Max Orgonyi will remain on the Management Board of RTL Deutschland, which will be composed as follows:

  • – Stephan Schmitter, Chief Executive Officer
  • – Andreas Fischer, Chief Operating Officer
  • – Julia Kloke, Chief Financial Officer
  • – Inga Leschek, Chief Content Officer
  • – Max Orgonyi, Chief Transformation & AI Officer
  • – Michael Radelsberger, Chief Consumer Officer
  • – Elke Walthelm, Chief Human Resources Officer

Thomas Rabe, CEO of RTL Group, commented: “The combination of RTL and Sky creates a unique offering for entertainment, sport and news across free-to-air TV, pay-TV and streaming. We will gradually combine Sky and RTL and realise annual synergies of around €250 million within three years. Our aim is to bring together the best talent, content and processes from both companies.”

Rabe continued: “I am delighted to appoint Elke Walthelm, Julia Kloke and Michael Radelsberger – experienced and versatile executives – to the Management Board of RTL Deutschland. Under the leadership of Stephan Schmitter, they will drive forward the integration and further transformation of the company. I wish the new management team every success in this important and challenging task. At the same time, I would like to express my sincere thanks to Ingrid Heisserer and Carsten Schwecke for their successful work and dedication – and wish them all the best for the future.”

Schmitter added: “The composition of the new Management Board underlines our clear focus on consistently aligning the joint organisation with the future of television – particularly the streaming business. In doing so, we are placing our high-quality, local content and the interests of our audience at the heart of our strategy. I am very much looking forward to tackling the major challenges in the market and further strengthening our position together with this strong, versatile management team and our employees. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Ingrid Heisserer and Carsten Schwecke for our excellent cooperation and their commitment to RTL Deutschland and the combination with Sky Deutschland.”

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