Intershop Communications AG: Reduction of the Management Board – Markus Dränert becomes new CEO
Jena, August 25, 2025 – Markus Klahn, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Intershop Communications AG (ISIN: DE000A254211), will leave the company at the end of August 31, 2025, at his own request and for personal reasons. The Supervisory Board and Markus Klahn today mutually agreed on the premature termination of his Management Board mandate. He has been a member of Intershop's Management Board since 2018, initially as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and since 2021 as CEO. His successor will be Markus Dränert, who has been COO of Intershop since the end of 2023, with effect from September 1, 2025.
Frank Fischer, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Intershop Communications AG: "On behalf of the entire Supervisory Board, I would like to thank Markus Klahn for his many years of great commitment to our company. He has played a key role in shaping Intershop's strategic direction and the transformation of the business to the cloud. We very much regret his departure and wish him all the best for the future."
Commenting on the new CEO appointment, Frank Fischer said: "In Markus Dränert, we have found the ideal successor for the CEO position. He has many years of experience in the software industry and in transformation projects and will continue to focus and drive forward Intershop's development in the field of artificial intelligence, which he has already started as COO. With the reduced Management Board, we believe we are efficiently positioned for the future."
Markus Dränert: "The new role comes with great responsibility, especially in this challenging market phase. Together with our team and my Management Board colleague Petra Stappenbeck, we will continue to develop Intershop consistently — with a particular focus on expanding the cloud offering and implementing our AI strategy."
Markus Dränert holds a degree in business administration and has extensive experience in the transformation of business models and the development and introduction of new products and innovations. For example, as Managing Director of Haufe-Lexware for six years, he played a key role in shaping the successful cloud transformation of the Haufe Group. As CEO of several portfolio companies at company builder finleap, he laid the foundation for today's PaaS company Qwist and was an Operating Partner at the Aurelius Group before joining Intershop.
About Intershop
Intershop Communications AG (founded in Germany 1992; Prime Standard: ISHA) delivers the agentic commerce platform powering digital sales for the hidden champions and global powerhouses of B2B. More than 300 manufacturers, wholesalers, holding companies and business associations worldwide rely on Intershop to connect, simplify, and automate commerce across regions, brands, business models and channels. With their unrelenting B2B focus and platform designed to handle complexity, Intershop helps businesses grow their digital sales revenue, improve customer retention, and make their sales processes more efficient.
Intershop is built to boost your business. Learn more at www.intershop.com.
This news release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial and operational performance of Intershop. Actual events or performance may differ materially from those contained or implied in such forward-looking statements. Risks and uncertainties that could lead to such difference could include, among other things: Intershop's limited operating history, the unpredictability of future revenues and expenses and potential fluctuations in revenues and operating results, significant dependence on large single customer deals, consumer trends, the level of competition, seasonality, risks related to electronic security, possible governmental regulation, and general economic conditions.
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