Olivier Rihs appointed CEO of Classifieds & Marketplaces

Zurich, 1 November 2019 – Olivier Rihs will take over the Classifieds & Marketplaces Division as of 1 May 2020 at the latest, succeeding Christoph Brand who decided to leave Tamedia and join the Axpo Group. Christoph Brand will remain in charge until Olivier Rihs steps in, thus ensuring a smooth transition. As previously announced, effective 1 January 2020, the Tamedia Group will undergo a strategic reorganisation with a new decentralised structure comprising four independent business fields. One of these is Classifieds & Marketplaces.

It will be the responsibility of Olivier Rihs to continue boosting the organic growth of this division, which has expanded significantly in recent years. In a highly competitive market the independence of this division in the future will provide optimal conditions in terms of transparency and growth, including within the scope of possible partnerships and acquisitions. It is also intended to strengthen the innovation activity and promote synergies and knowledge transfer between the different brands of the portfolio.

Olivier Rihs is from the French-speaking part of Switzerland and speaks fluent German, and French. He has been Managing Director of Geneva International Motor Show since February 2019 and established the consulting company Olivier Rihs Management in 2018. From 2002 to 2018 he was with Scout24 Suisse SA in Flamatt, the Swiss network of online marketplaces, where he held various positions, most recently as CEO between 2011 and 2018. Previously he had been engaged in the automotive industry.

Christoph Tonini, CEO of Tamedia: “I look forward to welcoming Olivier Rihs as the new CEO of the Classifieds & Marketplaces business segment. His expertise and extensive experience in this field will be highly advantageous in a very competitive and fast changing market. With the Group's new structure he and his teams will be able to respond even quicker and with more agility to challenges and allow him to concentrate on the specific aspects of this segment.”

The Board of Directors and the Management Board of Tamedia are pleased to welcome Olivier Rihs and wish him every success in his new position.