Lidl GB chief executive Christian Härtnagel is moving to take on the same role at Lidl Germany, with current deputy CEO Ryan McDonnell stepping up to take his place.
Härtnagel has been CEO of Lidl GB for more than five years, having been promoted from the role of chief operations officer for Lidl Austria, where he was responsible for sales and operations.
He has been with Lidl for over 18 years, holding a variety of roles during his tenure including regional director at Lidl Ireland. Härtnagel replaces current Lidl Germany CEO and member of Lidl’s international board, Matthias Oppitz, who will take on a new international role on the board.
Härtnagel will start in his new role on 1 March 2022 and McDonnell on 1 February.
McDonnell‘s career at Lidl extends over 21 years. The former chief commercial officer of Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland moved to Lidl GB in the role of chief commercial officer in 2015. He was promoted to deputy CEO in 2021.
Härtnagel said: “It feels special, both personally and professionally, to be given the opportunity to go back to the country where I started my career many years ago, and to take the helm of the biggest market in the Lidl family. I’ve worked closely with Ryan for some time and have every faith in his ability to lead Lidl in Great Britain, and to build on the team’s fantastic track record in recent years.
'I feel very proud to leave the company in such capable and safe hands. Ryan and I are focused on delivering the best Christmas ever for our customers.”
McDonnell added: “Christian hands over a business built on strong foundations and I’m incredibly excited to have the baton passed on to me. I have worked at Lidl GB now for over six years, during which time we have seen our store estate, colleague and customer numbers grow exponentially. We couldn’t be in a better place as a business and I feel privileged to be taking us forward from here.”
