Aleksander Kutela will be appointed as the new CEO of Ringier Axel Springer Polska. He will take over the new role in September 2022. Aleksander Kutela currently serves as Vice President of Ringier Axel Springer Poland. He has vast experience in the content and media sector. From 2000 till 2015 he served as the President of HBO Polska, and from 2007 also as a Senior Vice President of HBO Europe. Aleksander Kutela built HBO’s position as one of the strongest TV brands in Poland and in Europe successfully developing both the pay-TV model and SVOD services. As of 2015, he joined Ringier Axel Springer Polska as the CEO of Grupa Onet. In 2018, he took on an additional role as the COO of Ringier Axel Springer Media, the Joint Venture managing operations for Central Eastern Europe. In his new role as CEO of Ringier Axel Springer Polska, he will be responsible for further strengthening Ringier Axel Springer’s position on the market and driving investments into trusted media and digital services.
“Aleksander Kutela’s unique experience and excellent market knowledge are ideally suited to further grow and strengthen Ringier Axel Springer in Poland. He is a leader extremely focused on the company’s development. Together with the outstanding team, he will continue to build on the successes of our media brands and digital services. I sincerely thank Mark Dekan for his excellent work in developing Ringier Axel Springer in Poland and throughout Central and Eastern Europe and wish him all the best for his new endeavors”, says Marc Walder, CEO of Ringier.
“In just a few years, Mark has built with his team a strong, steadily growing, digital media and classifieds company with a clear mission and vision. Therefore, Mark was asked to bring these experiences and skills to his new role at POLITICO and lead the strengthening and expansion of the brand’s offerings. With Aleksander Kutela, we have an ideal and very experienced successor for Mark to further strengthen Ringier Axel Springer’s position on the market and drive investments into news and digital offerings”, says Jan Bayer, President News Media USA and deputy CEO of Axel Springer SE.
“I am honored to be leading a company that has such a strong position in the market, and its brands are the unquestionable leaders in terms of reach, opinion-shaping, and, above all, in terms of users’ trust. I am convinced that with such an exceptional team of people, employees of Ringier Axel Springer Polska, we will make many more positive changes in the Polish and European markets. I would like to thank Mark Dekan for years of excellent leadership and inspiration. I am convinced that POLITICO is gaining an exceptional leader“, says Aleksander Kutela.
Mark Dekan has been responsible for the Joint Venture of Ringier and Axel Springer on the Polish market for 8 years in the role of CEO of Ringier Axel Springer Polska. As of 1 September, he will assume the newly created role of COO of the US-based POLITICO Media Group, part of Axel Springer SE. He has extensive experience on the international media market, having, amongst other things, lead Ringier Axel Springer Media AG, a Joint Venture between Axel Springer and Ringier, the biggest digital media company in Central and Eastern Europe. As CEO of Ringier Axel Springer Polska, he has transformed the business from a print driven organization to a digital-first company, merging 11 companies into one, driving cultural change and achieving leading position on the market. In his new role as COO of the Axel Springer owned POLITICO Media Group, Mark Dekan will work closely with the team to further drive the Group’s ambitious growth plans.
“After eight great years I feel excited to face a new professional challenge. I am proud of what we have achieved together: in just a few years, from a group consisting of 11 different entities – we have created one company, strong in the market, constantly growing, which is the unquestionable leader in media and technology solutions and runs the most trusted digital brands. Ringier Axel Springer Polska remains in the best hands. I am convinced that Aleksander Kutela as the new CEO of Ringier Axel Springer, together with the exceptional team of people I have had the privilege to work with in Poland, will achieve many more successes. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you all for these years and wish you the best of luck”, says Mark Dekan.
Ringier AG, Corporate Communications
About Ringier Axel Springer Polska
Ringier Axel Springer Polska is a leading media and tech company, most relevant publisher in Poland and part of Grupa Ringier Axel Springer Polska, that includes Ringier Axel Springer Polska, Grupa Morizon-Gratka, Lendi, City-Nav (Jakdojade) and NoFluffJobs. The company employs approximately 2000 people. Print media titles and digital brands make up the portfolio of 20 leading products that includes: Onet – the biggest news portal in Poland, Fakt – the largest and most popular daily newspaper and Sympatia – the leading dating service in Poland as well as international brands like Business Insider, Newsweek, Forbes, Ofeminin or Noizz. Other digital products by RAS are e-commerce brands Skąpiec, Opineo, Moneteasy and a digital publishing platform for media – Ring Publishing used in 13 countries. Thanks to combining unique expertise in publishing, advertising and technology Ringier Axel Springer Polska is a reliable business partner that comes with impact, scale and trusted content.