CEO Rainer Esser hands over to Nils von der Kall, taking on a new role as Executive Adviser and Supervisory Board member.

 

On 1 February 2026, after 27 years at the helm of the ZEIT publishing group, Dr Rainer Esser will hand over the position of CEO to Nils von der Kall.

 

Nils von der Kall has been with the ZEIT publishing group since 2004. After joining the New Business Development department, he took on various management roles in marketing and sales from 2008 onwards. He has been a member of the executive board since 2019 and, as Chief Commercial Officer, a member of the management board since 2024. He has played a decisive role in shaping the transformation of the company.

 

This handover marks the beginning of a new chapter for one of the most successful media companies in the German-speaking world. Rainer Esser will remain with the company in a strategic role – as Executive Adviser to the Holtzbrinck Publishing Group and as a member of the Supervisory Board of ZEIT.

 

Click here for the press release of ZEIT Verlagsgruppe.