The Platform Group SE & Co. KGaA, a European software company specializing in platform solutions across 26 industries, has announced significant changes to its executive leadership structure. The company has expanded its C-level team with two key appointments that reflect its ongoing growth and strategic priorities.
Nathalie Richert, previously Head of Investor Relations, has been appointed to the C-level and has assumed additional responsibility for the Human Resources function. This dual role comes at a critical time as the company prepares to expand its workforce beyond 2,000 employees. Richert emphasized the increasing importance of HR in this growth phase while noting her continued commitment to investor relations activities.
Christoph Hies, who has been with The Platform Group for over six years, has been appointed Chief Marketing Officer. Hies will oversee marketing activities across the entire group, which operates in more than 26 industries including luxury goods, furniture retail, dental technology, and electronics. The company's marketing approach has been developed over several years and will now be more deeply integrated at the leadership level.
These appointments occur alongside the continued service of existing leadership team members including Dr. Dominik Benner as CEO, Christoph Wilhelmy as COO, Sven Schumann as CPM, Bjoern Minnier overseeing M&A and Finance, Sven Hulsenbeck as CTO, and Frederic von Borries as CPO. The company maintains 19 locations across Europe with headquarters in Dusseldorf.
According to preliminary figures, The Platform Group achieved revenue of EUR 728 million in 2025 with adjusted EBITDA of EUR 55 million. The company's partner network comprises more than 16,000 partners who utilize its platform solutions to serve both business and consumer customers. Additional information about the company's operations can be found at corporate.the-platform-group.com.
CEO Dr. Dominik Benner stated that these leadership changes represent execution of the company's commitments, including advancing internationalization as outlined for 2025 and strengthening the leadership team for what the company anticipates will be a highly successful 2026. The company's performance in the first quarter of 2026 has provided confidence in achieving these goals.
The expansion of The Platform Group's leadership structure matters because it demonstrates how growing technology companies must adapt their executive teams to manage scaling operations. As software platforms increasingly dominate multiple industries simultaneously, companies like The Platform Group require specialized leadership in areas like human resources during rapid hiring phases and integrated marketing across diverse business segments. The appointment of an executive with dual HR and investor relations responsibilities highlights how workforce growth and investor communication become increasingly interconnected as companies expand.
For the broader technology industry, this development illustrates how platform companies operating across multiple verticals must balance centralized leadership with industry-specific expertise. The Platform Group's approach of maintaining industry-focused operations while integrating marketing at the group level offers a model for other multi-industry platform businesses. The company's continued international expansion, mentioned as a key priority, reflects the global nature of platform software competition where European companies must compete across borders.
The implications extend to employment markets in the technology sector, where companies approaching 2,000 employees face different management challenges than smaller startups. Effective human resources leadership becomes crucial for maintaining culture, talent development, and operational efficiency during such growth phases. For investors, the strengthened leadership team suggests preparation for sustained growth following the company's 2025 financial performance of EUR 728 million in revenue.
