Zalando’s Carsten Keller will take over from parting Co-CEOs in January
Karlsruhe, December 14th, 2023 – Chrono24, the leading global marketplace for luxury watches, today announces that Carsten Keller will take over as CEO, effective January 1st, 2024. Co-CEOs Tim Stracke and Holger Felgner are handing over the reins to a successor with decades of online retail, marketplace, and strategy experience. Over the past eight years, Keller has been instrumental in building Europe’s leading marketplace for fashion brands and retailers at Zalando, contributing more than 5 Billion Euros to the platform’s overall gross merchandise value. As a part of that, Keller also founded Zalando’s Connected Retail venture – enabling more than 7,500 offline retailers to sell their goods online. Stracke and Felgner will remain key shareholders and continue to support the company as active members of the board, which Tim Stracke will lead as its Chairman.
Over the past 20 years, Chrono24 has grown into the leading global marketplace for luxury watches while gaining unicorn status in its 2021 funding round. More than 35,000 professional and private sellers are offering an assortment of more than 530,000 luxury timepieces to more than 9 Million monthly active customers from all over the world. Recent additions to the roster of well-known investors include General Atlantic, Insight Partners, Sprints Capital, Bernard Arnault’s Aglaé Ventures, as well as football icon Cristiano Ronaldo.
By handing over his CEO mandate, founder and Co-CEO Tim Stracke wants to ensure Chrono24 continues to build on its momentum: “While the decision hasn’t been easy, Holger and I always knew that we would eventually need to find a successor to lead Chrono24 into the next phase of growth. Carsten’s expertise in the luxury industry and with fast-paced online marketplaces as well as his experience in the leadership team of a publicly traded company make him a one-in-a-million candidate to unlock the next chapter for Chrono24. We are very excited to witness all he will do.”
“The board is indebted to Tim and Holger for their exceptional leadership and invaluable contributions, which have been pivotal to Chrono24’s success”, says Deven Parekh, Managing Partner at Insight Partners and investor in Chrono24. “Taking over at the helm, Carsten is undoubtedly the best possible successor. He is a proven leader, a great cultural fit, has strong business vision and the ability to bring people together. His perspective on the global future of the luxury industry aligns perfectly with Chrono24’s needs as we embark on a new phase of further product innovation and growth.”
Carsten Keller, who has been with McKinsey & Company for more than a decade prior to Zalando where he held several leadership positions advising clients in the fashion and luxury sector, is excited to start his term as CEO: “Chrono24 has revolutionized the luxury watch sector over the past 20 years. I am incredibly honored to lead this true global champion. Tim and Holger have done an incredible job building the company. The opportunity ahead of us is huge. Now, a good part of my job will be to strengthen our ability to focus, innovate and accelerate – making Chrono24 the home for every watch enthusiast.”
About Chrono24:
“Chrono24 – The World’s Watch Market” is the world’s leading online marketplace for luxury watches. It combines the largest global offering of new, used and vintage watches with several service features, allowing buyers and sellers to complete their transactions in a trusted environment. With more than 530,000 watches from more 35,000 professional retailers and private sellers, the platform attracts an average of 9 Million users from all over the world per month, shopping in 22 languages. Chrono24 was founded in 2003 and has offices in Karlsruhe, Berlin, New York, Miami, Tokyo and Hong Kong.
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Hauke Trauernicht