The Intershop Management

Learn more about our organizational structure which includes a Management and a Supervisory Board.

Management Board of Intershop Communications AG

As CEO of Intershop, Markus Klahn is responsible for the corporate strategy as well as its further development and implementation since May 2021.

Together with a strong management team, he is driving the consistent cloud transformation of the Group, thus creating the basis for sustainable growth.

Markus Klahn Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

After he joined Intershop as COO in 2018, Markus Klahn took over the responsibility for the areas of sales, marketing and services. In this role, he supported numerous leading manufacturers and wholesalers in the successful digital transformation of their sales and service processes. He not only has comprehensive expertise with regard to the specific challenges and needs of ambitious B2B customers, but also many years of experience in sales and marketing of software solutions.

Markus Klahn studied physics, but started his professional career as entrepreneur in the fields of CAD and PLM (Computer Assisted Design and PLM Product Lifecycle Management). In 1998 he sold his company to the proALPHA Group and joined the Management Board of proALPHA Consulting AG where he was responsible for sales. During his 16 years with proALPHA, the company grew from 100 to 550 employees. In 2015 Markus Klahn moved on to Abas GmbH & Co. KG, a wholly owned subsidiary of Abas Software AG. Before he joined Intershop, he was in charge of sales at JAGGAER, a leading procurement provider whose solutions are consistently based on SaaS models.

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In his responsibility as COO, the innovative manager Markus Dränert is a member of Intershop's Management Board since December 2023.

Working shoulder to shoulder with the CEO and CFO and in cooperation with the four-person Management Team, he is driving the further development of the cloud offering and the implementation of the AI strategy.

Markus Dränert Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Markus Dränert holds a degree in business administration and was most recently an Operating Partner at AURELIUS Wachstumskapital, where he led the Software & Technology division. As a New Venture Partner at company builder Finleap, he built up the later Finleap Connect with an organization of more than 100 employees as CEO for a portfolio company and was also responsible, among other things, for the merger and integration of two SaaS fintech companies.

Previously, in his role as Managing Director of Haufe-Lexware, he was instrumental in driving the cloud transformation of the Haufe Group’s Lexware brand over several years. Prior to that, he held various management and leadership positions at Deutsche Telekom.

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Petra Stappenbeck expands the Intershop Management Board as CFO with her comprehensive financial expertise since January 2023.

In cooperation with Markus Klahn, Markus Dränert and the Intershop Management Team, she ensures a solid financial position for Intershop in a challenging environment.

Petra Stappenbeck
Petra Stappenbeck Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

The graduate in business administration had already been working as Director Finance at Intershop since 2012 and was appointed authorized signatory in 2013. Since May 2021, she has been part of the Intershop Management Team as Executive VP.

Ms Stappenbeck has more than 30 years of experience in finance and controlling. Before joining Intershop, she served for several years as Head of Finance and Controlling at Jenoptik AG, which is also listed on the stock exchange. Prior to that, she held various positions at Hochtief AG, most recently as Deputy Head of Finance.

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Supervisory Board of Intershop Communications AG

Frank Fischer enriches with his expertise as a corporate analyst and brings valuable experience in the capital market.

The Chairman of the Management Board of Shareholder Value Management AG is a long-standing representative of the anchor shareholders of Intershop Communications AG.

Frank Fischer
Frank Fischer Chairman of the Supervisory Board

Frank Fischer has also held the position of Chief Investment Officer at Shareholder Value Management AG since 2005 as a member of the Management Board, portfolio manager and company analyst. In addition, he also became a member of the Management Board of Shareholder Value Beteiligungen AG in 2010.

He was also a member of the Supervisory Board of PULSION Medical Systems AG from November 2009 to May 2014. In addition, from January 2001 to May 2005 he chaired the Supervisory Board of Shareholder Value Beteiligungen AG, which is listed on the Regulated Unofficial Market. Until the end of 2005, he was Managing Director of Standard & Poor's Fund Services (formerly Micropal GmbH), responsible for investment fund information and ratings. After training as a banker at the Hessische Landesbank, he studied business administration at the University of Frankfurt am Main, graduating with a degree in business administration.

CV of Frank Fischer

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Ulrich Prädel looks back at more than 30 years of management experience in the IT industry.

After completing his university education in computer sciences at the University of Dortmund, a major step in his professional career had been the position with Electronic Data Systems (EDS) where he was responsible for software development activities and outsourcing units for more than 10 years.

Ulrich Praedel
Ulrich Prädel Vice Chairman of the Supervisory Board

From 1995 to 2000 he led all outsourcing activities of EDS Group for communications industry clients in EMEA.

In 2001 Ulrich Prädel joined Capgemini where he held several international management positions including the role of Group Sales Director and member of the Global Capgemini Management Board. Since September 2016 Ulrich Prädel has been working as Executive Advisor. He supports IT companies worldwide as member of supervisory boards and top level consultant. His focus areas span from sales to transformation and restructuring.

CV of Ulrich Prädel

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Prof. Dr. Louis Velthuis is active as an expert, advisor and member of the supervisory board for international corporations.

Moreover, he has held the chair for controlling at the Faculty of Law, Management and Economics at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz since 2008.

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Louis Velthuis Member of the Supervisory Board Chairman of the Audit Committee

Born in South Africa, he completed a training program at Deutsche Bank in Germany to become a bank clerk, before studying, graduating and further qualifying as a university professor in business administration at the Goethe University in Frankfurt.

His interest in research as well as his many years of practical project experience principally concern the organization of internal and external accounting, the design and setup of incentive systems, performance measuring and the development of concepts in value-based company management.

CV of Univ.-Prof. Dr. Louis Velthuis

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Oliver Bendig draws on more than 20 years of experience in business-to-business SaaS software and is considered a thought leader in the industry

As an advocate of lean management and agile methods, he has led international teams through agile transformation several times in his professional career.

Oliver Bendig
Oliver Bendig Member of the Supervisory Board

Since July 2022, Oliver Bendig has been CEO of STP Group, a leading provider of legal tech software. Previously, he was CEO of Matrix42 AG, where he is now a Supervisory Board Advisor. He also advises clients and private equity companies on product and software development as well as IT security and go-to-market with a focus on Agile and Digital Transformation. In addition, Oliver Bendig is an advisory board member at Ecovium, a leading logistics software company in Europe and advisory board member at Lobster Software, a leading provider of application and data integration.

Before joining the European market leader for Enterprise Service Management Matrix42 in 2009, he was responsible for international product management at German and US software vendors such as NetSupport, Enteo Software and FrontRange Solutions. Oliver Bendig holds a degree in Business Informatics and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) and Master of Science (M.Sc.) in Computer Science from the University of Applied Sciences Karlsruhe.

CV of Oliver Bendig

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Want to learn more?

We might seem like an average software company, our culture is what sets us apart if you dig a bit deeper. We treat our employees, customers, and partners like team. That means sharing knowledge and insights, respecting each other's opinions, and celebrating our shared successes. But it also means that we’re there when the going gets tough. Because the best way to achieve our (and your!) ambitious goals is to work as a team.

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