After stepping down early from his Co-CEO role at Ströer before the end of his contract, Christian Schmalzl will take over as CEO of the Stepstone Group.
Former Co-CEO of Ströer: Christian Schmalzl to Become CEO of Stepstone
Christian Schmalzl, longtime Co-CEO of Ströer, is taking on a new role outside the out-of-home industry: starting in September 2026, he will become CEO of Stepstone Group, which operates, among other assets, the well-known Stepstone career portal.
Schmalzl stepped down from Ströer at the end of March, even though his contract was originally set to run until 2028. Founder Udo Müller has since initiated a broader transformation of the German OoH market leader and has reassumed the role of sole CEO to drive this process.
Successor to Sebastian Dettmers
At Stepstone, Schmalzl will succeed Sebastian Dettmers, who is leaving the company after more than six years as CEO and over 15 years in total with the organization.
“Stepstone has developed into a leading HR technology group with a great team and a strong market position,” says Schmalzl. “This foundation is exactly what excites me about the role. The labor market is changing rapidly, and Stepstone is ideally positioned to shape how companies and candidates come together. I look forward to working with the team to turn this potential into growth.”
The restructuring at Ströer under Udo Müller also affects other members of the executive team. CFO Henning Gieseke will leave the company. In addition, Chief Communications Officer Marc Sausen is moving to Openbank, Santander Group’s digital bank, according to reports including industry service Turi2.