New CEO for UFA

Sascha Schwingel has been appointed CEO of UFA, succeeding Nico Hofmann, who now becomes chairman of the company.

Schwingel will join the Fremantle global leadership team based in Berlin and begin his post with immediate effect. Schwingel will have oversight and strategic direction of all aspects of the business, including production output of its four main divisions—UFA Fiction, UFA Serial Drama, UFA Show and Factual and UFA Documentary—as well as key corporate functions.

Most recently, Schwingel was deputy chief content officer of RTL Deutschland. Prior to this role, he was CEO of the RTL Group-owned TV channel VOX.

Hofmann remains closely connected to the parent company Bertelsmann, as an advisory board member of the Liz Mohn Center. Hofmann has been CEO of UFA since 2017 and has had a long career within the group beginning in 1998 when he set up teamWorx (now UFA Fiction).

Jennifer Mullin, group CEO of Fremantle, commented: “I would like to personally thank Nico for his hard work and commitment to UFA for the past 26 years. With him at the helm, UFA has maintained its position as a leading German media company and a vital part of the Fremantle Group. We are delighted he will become Chairman and stay within the Fremantle family. At the same time, I am so pleased to welcome Sascha back to the business and look forward to working with him to shape and drive UFA’s future.”

Andrea Scrosati, group COO and CEO for Continental Europe at Fremantle, to whom Schwingel will report, commented: “Sascha is an innovative, creative and savvy leader and a great choice to lead UFA into the future. UFA plays a huge part in the success of Fremantle globally, as a true portfolio business which produces hit after hit across all genres. I look forward to working closely with Sascha and his management team as we build on past successes to create an extremely strong and globally appealing business. I am also honored to have the opportunity to work with and draw from Nico’s vast experience, with him now in place as chairman.”

Hofmann added: “After 26 years with Bertelsmann and eight years at the helm of UFA I have decided, together with Jennifer Mullin and Andrea Scrosati, to pass on the leadership of UFA. In Sascha, who is a friend and colleague for many years, we have found an experienced and highly talented successor. With great creative energy, Sascha has pursued a successful career at our subsidiary teamWorx, at public broadcaster ARD and at RTL Deutschland—evolving as an intelligent manager with a strong reputation in the creative scene. Thank you to Jennifer for her warm and cooperative support, to Andrea for his curiosity and openness in appointing Sascha as my successor and to RTL Group and Bertelsmann for a great understanding of creative entrepreneurship—something I have been lucky to experience over all these years. UFA is my pride and joy, a great production company with a great team. With Sascha and the commitment from Fremantle I have high hopes for the future—a future where I am happy to take on the role of chairman.”

Schwingel said: “Becoming CEO of UFA is a huge privilege. I began my career at UFA Fiction-label teamWorx and spent 15 exciting years with UFA, so to take this role now feels like coming home to me. I would like to thank Nico for all the great foundations he has laid, as well as Jennifer and Andrea for the trust, and I look forward to building on this success with the team.”