Incoming BMG CEO Thomas Coesfeld has announced details of his new senior management team. It follows the announcement today by BMG parent company Bertelsmann that it is bringing forward by six months the long-planned change in leadership of BMG. Coesfeld will now take over the role of CEO on July 1, 2023, succeeding founding CEO Hartwig Masuch. Additionally, upon taking over as CEO at BMG, Coesfeld will also become a member of Bertelsmann’s Group Management Committee (GMC), the committee advising Bertelsmann’s Group Executive Board.

Effective July 1, 2023, coinciding with Coesfeld’s elevation, Mathis Wolter will join BMG as CFO, replacing Coesfeld. Wolter joins from sister Bertelsmann division RTL Group where he has been Senior Vice President Controlling & Investments for the past three-and-a-half years.

The appointment marks a return to BMG for Wolter. Prior to joining RTL Group, he spent three years at BMG as SVP Controlling & Reporting.

Thomas Coesfeld said, “I am delighted to welcome Mathis back to BMG to apply his formidable skills. He will further build our streamlined finance system, he will drive our continued growth strategy, and will be a trusted sparring partner for me.”

Joining Coesfeld and Wolter on a new BMG board are:

• Sebastian Hentzschel, now promoted from CTO to Chief Operations Officer, responsible for rights and royalties, supply chain, technology and data;

•Chief Content Officer Dominique Casimir, responsible for repertoire and marketing ex-US (excl. global recorded marketing), synch and corporate responsibility;

• Chief Human Resources Officer Nikola Holle-Spiegel, responsible for learning and talent development, talent acquisition and employer branding, HR analytics and projects and people and culture.

Said Coesfeld, “The new BMG board is a diverse team with a broad range of experience all dedicated to the BMG ideal - a collaborative approach to artists and songwriters; a digital-first and performance-based mindset; an inclusive culture and a thoughtful and mindful approach to decision-making. Together with our wider team, we will push BMG to new heights.”

Also newly appointed to BMG’s top management team is Alberto Chullen Llamas, who joins BMG from Bertelsmann Education Group as EVP Investments to drive forward the company’s Boost growth strategy and support future catalog acquisitions. Chullen Llamas started his career at BMG in 2011, and later became a member of Bertelsmann's central controlling and investment team, advising on BMG’s catalogue investments.

Coesfeld commented, “After 45 acquisitions in 2022 alone, acquisitions remain central to BMG’s growth into 2023 and beyond. We are delighted to have secured the services of such a heavy-hitter as Alberto from within the Bertelsmann family, and one who knows BMG well.”

Thomas Coesfeld joined BMG’s executive board in October 2020. Previously, he was a member of the Executive Board of Bertelsmann Printing Group and Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) at Mohn Media in Gütersloh. He started his Bertelsmann career at the beginning of 2016, initially spending a year working for subsidiaries of the Group, including BMG and Relias in the U.S., as part of the Bertelsmann Entrepreneurs Program (BEP). Coesfeld began his professional career in 2014 as a management consultant at McKinsey after studying business administration in Vallendar, Washington, and Atlanta.