Hero Group Board of Directors

Our Board of Directors determine the strategic direction of the company and oversee the implementation of key business decisions.

Herbert J. Scheidt is Chairman of the Hero Group Board of Directors, which is composed of Leopold Oetker (Vice-Chairman), Dr Hagen Duenbostel, and Margaret Versteden.

Herbert J. Scheidt

Chairman

Herbert J. Scheidt

Chairman

Herbert J. Scheidt joined the Hero Board of Directors in 2010 and was appointed Chairman in April 2025.

He held the position of Chairman of Vontobel AG and was Chairman of the Swiss Bankers’ Association and Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the SIX Group AG (Zurich, Switzerland), for several years.

He worked for Deutsche Bank AG in various roles for two decades from 1982 until 2002 when he took on the role of CEO of Vontobel AG. In 2011, he joined the Vontobel AG Board of Directors.

In addition to the Hero Group, he is Member of the Executive Committee of the Chamber of Commerce Germany-Switzerland (Zurich), Member of the Presidium of the German Council for Foreign Relations e.V. (DGAP), and Member of the Board of Trustees of the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation

Scheidt holds a Master’s in Economics from the University of Sussex (UK) and an MBA from the University of New York.

Leopold Oetker

Vice-Chairman

Leopold Oetker

Vice-Chairman

Leopold Oetker joined the Hero Board of Directors in 2016. Since March 2019, he has been a member of the Hero Human Resource Committee, which he now chairs, and Finance and Audit Committee.

Oetker successfully completed his studies in Culture Studies and History in Berlin and Copenhagen.

He undertook a two-year international business development traineeship at the Hero Group’s former partner Yildiz Holding and worked at the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts. He is involved in charitable work, helping underprivileged children in his hometown Berlin, Germany.

Oetker has taken an active role in formulating and promoting the Hero Group’s sustainability commitment.

Dr. Hagen Duenbostel

Hero Board Member since 2012

Dr. Hagen Duenbostel

Hero Board Member since 2012

Dr Hagen Duenbostel joined the Hero Board of Directors in 2012. Since March 2024, he has been Chairman of the Group’s Finance & Audit Committee and a Member of the Human Resources Committee.

 Dr Duenbostel holds an MBA in Business Economics from the universities of Regensburg and Passau in Germany, and obtained his doctorate from the University of Göttingen, Germany.

In December 2024, Dr Duenbostel was mandated as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA (KWS), a provider of agricultural seed based in Einbeck, Germany. Until December 2022, he was CEO and Executive Board Member of KWS. He joined KWS in 1998 and held various roles until he took over as CFO in 2003. He began his professional career in auditing at PricewaterhouseCoopers AG in 1995.

In addition, Dr Duenbostel is Founder and Managing Director of the strategy consulting firm DOVECOTE GmbH in Innsbruck, Austria. Since November 2022, Dr Duenbostel has been Chairman of the Audit Committee of the Max-Planck-Society for the Advancement of Science e.V. (MPG). He is a Member of C.H. Boehringer Sohn AG & Co. KG Advisory Board in Ingelheim, Germany. In addition, Dr Duenbostel holds the Deputy Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group.

Margaret Versteden

Hero Board Member since 2019

Margaret Versteden

Hero Board Member since 2019

Margaret Versteden joined the Hero Board of Directors in March 2019 and is a Member of the Hero Group’s Human Resources Committee and the Finance & Audit Committee

Versteden holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Systems (IT) from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, and an MBA from INSEAD, France.

She is Chief Executive Officer of bol.com, the leading retail platform in the Netherlands and Belgium. Versteden joined bol.com from Bain & Company, where she was a managing partner, specializing in FMCG, retail, and eCommerce. Prior to this, Versteden also worked at Nike as General Manager for Central and Northern Europe, and as strategy consultant at BCG in Australia, Southeast Asia, and Europe for eight years.

Our executive management team

We design our organization in such a way that it supports us in living our company values. This is especially true for the leadership of our company. Our Executive Board defines our strategy and works towards fulfilling our mission.

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