Guillaume de Posch Steps Down as RTL Group Co-CEO

Guillaume de Posch is stepping down as co-CEO of RTL Group, effective January 1, with Bert Habets to lead the group as sole CEO.

De Posch will continue to serve as a non-executive member of RTL Group’s board of directors.

Habets, who has been co-CEO of RTL Group since April 2017, will now have sole overall responsibility for the strategy and day-to-day management of the group.

Elmar Heggen will remain CFO of RTL Group and will also become the group’s deputy CEO, taking over the portfolio responsibility for Groupe M6 and RTL Belgium within RTL Group’s executive committee.

Thomas Rabe, the chairman of the RTL Group board of directors, said: “On behalf of the whole Board, I would like to express a big thank you to Guillaume de Posch for his leadership at the helm of RTL Group since 2012. He has been key to transforming RTL Group into the most digital European broadcasting company, and to re-invigorating FremantleMedia’s creative drive. High-end drama productions such as The Young Pope and American Gods stand testimony to this achievement. I regret, but fully respect his decision, and I’m delighted he will continue to contribute his expertise across broadcast, content and digital as a non-executive director on our board.”

Rabe continued: “With Bert Habets, RTL Group will be led by a digitally savvy media entrepreneur with an exceptional in-house career development at RTL Group. He will ensure long-term continuity in the group’s leadership, and accelerate the execution of its ‘Total Video’ strategy. This strategy includes a strong focus on fostering creativity and building more direct-to-consumer businesses in the video-on-demand domain. I look forward to continuing our close collaboration, and wish him—as well as Elmar Heggen—every success in their positions.”

De Posch commented: “I had a fantastic time at the helm of RTL Group. Leading this pan-European pioneer—at which I started my career in the TV industry in 1993—was a dream come true for me. Now is the right time to hand over to Bert Habets, who will drive the group to its next level. I would like to thank all my colleagues across the whole group—and in particular my fellow executive committee members Bert Habets and Elmar Heggen and, of course, Anke Schäferkordt and Thomas Rabe. I’m very much looking forward to becoming a non-executive director of this inspiring company.”