New labour director on the management board of METRO AG: Andrea Euenheim to succeed Heiko Hutmacher

Andrea Euenheim (46) is joining the Management Board of METRO AG as an acknowledged trade and human resources expert. Since 2007 she held various HR management positions at the US technology and retail corporation Amazon, most recently as HR director for global expansion, mergers and acquisitions at the company’s headquarters in Seattle. In METRO’s nearly 55-year history she is the first woman on the Management Board of the international wholesale company.

‘In Andrea Euenheim we are gaining an experienced and competent executive who developed her expertise as a human resources manager in an environment marked by disruption and innovation. In her role as labour director, she is the right choice for us to advance the further transformation of our wholesale company into a service and solution provider,’ says Juergen Steinemann, Chairman of METRO AG’s Supervisory Board.

In May 2019, the current labour director, Heiko Hutmacher, had informed the Management Board and the Supervisory Board of METRO AG that, after 8 years, he will not renew his contract beyond September 2020.

Heiko Hutmacher (62) will remain with the company until 31 December 2019 in order to pass his duties on to the new labour director and ensure a smooth transition. ‘Heiko Hutmacher stands for the implementation of a new working culture at METRO. He set up the group, which is steeped in tradition, for the work environment of the future and at the same time coordinated the transformation processes this involved in an absolutely exemplary manner. For this I personally and the entire Management Board of METRO AG owe him thanks. With Andrea Euenheim we welcome a strong successor to our company. We are very much looking forward to working with her,’ says Olaf Koch, Chairman of the Management Board of METRO AG.

METRO is a leading international wholesale company with food and non-food assortments that specialises on serving the needs of hotels, restaurants and caterers (HoReCa) as well as independent traders. Around the world, METRO has some 24 million customers who can choose whether to shop in one of the large-format stores, order online and collect their purchases at the store or have them delivered. METRO in addition also supports the competitiveness of entrepreneurs and own businesses with digital solutions and thereby contributes to cultural diversity in retail and hospitality. Sustainability is a key pillar of METRO’s business. METRO has been the sector leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for the last four years. The company operates in 36 countries and employs more than 150,000 people worldwide. In financial year 2017/18, METRO generated sales of €36.5 billion. In September 2018 METRO AG initiated the divestment process for the food retail chain Real with its 34,000 employees to transform into a pure wholesale company.