Changes to Werder Bremen's club hierarchy

Personnel changes within Werder’s hierarchy

Hubertus Hess-Grunewald is making changes

Dr. Hubertus Hess-Grunewald will no longer serve as managing director from next year (Photo: W.DE).

First Team

Wednesday, 31.08.2022 / 16:00

SV Werder Bremen are making changes for the future: president and former managing director of KGaA, Dr. Hubertus Hess-Grunewald will step down as managing director at the end of the year. The 61-year-old is hoping to make way for the structural commission that has been in place for around a year now. “I feel obliged to bring in the necessary modernisations to the club. By giving up my joint role as managing director of the business and president of the e.V, I would like to do my part in ensuring that we move into the future with modern structures of government,” Hess-Grunewald explained his motives. “Along with this decision, I would also like to promote the results of the structural commission. We envisage that the president will have an important role in the supervisory board in the future and thus can maintain the influence of the e.V. and its members as the main shareholder,” the 61-year-old continued.

Tarek Brauer is joining this new Werder hierarchy from 1 September 2022. The lawyer has already been a long-term member of the executive board as the director of legal affairs and human resources, as well as an authorised signatory in the company for several years. “Tarek Brauer, across his various roles, has carried out some tremendous work over the last few years and has provided important advice during this transition period at Werder. The board of directors unanimously voted for him as the new managing director,” explained the chairman of the supervisory board, Marco Fuchs, who was commissioned by the board, together with Ulrike Hiller, to engage in talks with Tarek Brauer about the position. The new managing director will focus on the areas of human resources, legal affairs, real estate, security, infrastructural projects and IT.

[Tarek Brauer will take over as managing director (Photo: WERDER.DE).

“I’m delighted about the trust that the board of directors have placed in me by appointing me as managing director. We are facing major strategic tasks at Werder. I would like to contribute to tackling these challenges with my work,” says Tarek Brauer.

Anne-Kathrin Laufmann, the current director of CSR, will also become a new member of the board of directors on 1 September 2022. “Anne-Kathrin Laufmann has developed her department excellently and, among other things, has tackled issues of ecology, social and societal sustainability and diversity at Werder Bremen with a great deal of life and vigour. As a member of the board, she will be given new powers of authority and we are convinced that she will enrich the club’s senior management and bring in valuable opinions,” explains Klaus Filbry, CEO of SV Werder.

With the departure of Dr. Hubertus Hess-Grunewald, Anne-Kathrin Laufmann will become the supervisory board’s fourth managing director within the corporation. “Taking into account the planned structural reform – which will be put to a members meeting of the e.V to vote upon on 20 November 2022 and published in a timely manner – the supervisory board proposes Anne-Kathrin for the position of managing director of the executive committee. She is to take up her position on 1 January 2023. It is important for us to have a highly qualified woman on the board of directors in the form of Anne-Kathrin Laufmann, who has developed into an outstanding leader at Werder Bremen,” explains Ulrike Hiller.

Anne-Kathrin Laufmann is also joining the board of directors (Photo: W.DE).

Anne-Kathrin Laufmann is looking forward to her new role with great anticipation: “I am very pleased to be appointed to the board of directors and to have the prospect of taking on new responsibilities in an executive position. In my new role, I plan to continue shaping Werder Bremen sustainably and setting it up for the future across all of its facets.”

Anne-Kathrin Laufmann’s responsibilities will cover the areas of club development, fans, the other professional sports of table tennis, handball and chess as well as sustainability, including diversity, social and societal engagement and environmental protection. A strong structural connection with the e.V. is on the agenda. “The increased demands placed on the leadership that is responsible for the future-oriented development of the e.V. with their departments and over 40,000 members, as well as the extension of the licensing conditions in the areas of sustainability, governance and compliance were decisive in the decision to extend the management from a single person to four managing directors. With these changes in personnel, we envisage Werder Bremen as being well-armed for the future and are convinced that through these changes to the governance structure we will be able to deal with the challenges that face us,” concluded Ulrike Hiller.