Marco Giordani appointed CFO of MFE-MediaForEurope, backed by the Berlusconi family
He is the new CEO of Germany’s ProSiebenSat.1 and will succeed Bert Habets in the management shake-up of Germany’s leading broadcaster.
Habetz, former CEO of RTL Group, was appointed boss of ProSiebenSat.1 in 2022. He has now stepped down after MFE closed its takeover offer for ProSieben in September, securing a 75.1% stake in the Munich-based company in a deal worth 1.8 billion euros ($2.11 billion).
A statement from ProSiebenSat.1 said: “With the best mutual agreement, Mr. Bart Havetz will hand over the role of CEO to Mr. Marco Giordani and will assume the role of senior advisor to ProSiebenSat.1, with a particular focus on a seamless transition period until the end of the year.”
Bob Rajan, a managing director at equity investment firm Alvarez & Marsal, has been named interim chief financial officer, and Markus Breitenecker, a 30-year veteran of the firm, is stepping down as chief operating officer.
The acquisition of ProSieben will transform MFE into Europe’s largest free-to-air broadcaster with sales of 6.8 billion euros ($7.92 billion), according to research firm Enders Analysis. In addition to its operations in Germany, ProSiebenSat.1 also operates in Austria and Switzerland, while MFE also has television operations in Italy and Spain.
The leadership changes “underscore ProSiebenSat.1’s commitment to accelerating its strategic transformation,” the statement said. MFE is currently implementing plans to integrate the German media company into its existing business.
“We warmly welcome Marco Giordani as CEO of ProSiebenSat.1,” Maria Kyriacou, Chair of ProSiebenSat.1’s Supervisory Board, said in a statement. “His appointment reflects our ambition to further accelerate our strategic transformation with a clear focus on excellence and market-leading position in entertainment.”
He added: “I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Bart Havetz for his leadership and strong commitment during a decisive period of change for ProSiebenSat.1. He has been the driving force behind our strategic transformation into entertainment.”
Mr. Giordani has been CFO of MFE since 2000 and played a key role in driving the expansion strategy of the Berlusconi family group. Prior to his role as MFE CFO, Giordani held senior management positions at Berlusconi’s Mediaset. He will continue to serve as MFE CFO.
