Stephan Schäfer

Media Manager and Bestselling Author, CEO RTL Germany (until 2022)

Stephan Schäfer

Media Manager and Bestselling Author, CEO RTL Germany (until 2022)

Stephan Schäfer has had a remarkable career: the journalist became Germany's most important media manager. He then ventured a new start and wrote a novel that immediately became a bestseller. Stephan Schäfer (*1974) graduated from Axel Springer's school of journalism in Berlin and moved to the Bauer Media Group in 2001, where he first became deputy editor-in-chief of the women's magazine Maxi and then editor-in-chief in 2004. In 2009, Schäfer moved to Gruner + Jahr, initially as Editor-in-Chief of Schöner Wohnen, later assuming responsibility for other titles, including Brigitte and Essen & Trinken. Schäfer was appointed to the Executive Board of Gruner + Jahr in 2013 and was Chief Product Officer of the company from 2014 to 2021. Under his leadership, Gruner + Jahr developed new magazines and business areas. From 2019, Schäfer was also a member of the management board of RTL Deutschland. RTL Deutschland has been the parent company of Gruner + Jahr within the Bertelsmann Group since 2022. As Chief Content Officer, Schäfer initially assumed overall responsibility for all content and brands before being promoted to CEO of RTL Germany together with Matthias Dang in 2021. During his tenure, RTL Deutschland and Gruner + Jahr were merged to strengthen the company in the face of global competition. After leaving RTL Germany in the summer of 2022, Schäfer wrote his first novel: 25 letzte Sommer. As a speaker, Stephan Schäfer not only impresses with his entrepreneurial expertise, but also with the uniqueness of his personal journey. He combines his experience from the media industry with the insights from his novel and encourages his audience to develop resilience. With his talks, he invites audiences to discover their own strength and shape their lives with more clarity and inner balance.

About Stephan Schäfer

Stephan Schäfer has had a remarkable career: the journalist became Germany's most important media manager. He then ventured a new start and wrote a novel that immediately became a bestseller.

Stephan Schäfer (*1974) graduated from Axel Springer's school of journalism in Berlin and moved to the Bauer Media Group in 2001, where he first became deputy editor-in-chief of the women's magazine Maxi and then editor-in-chief in 2004. In 2009, Schäfer moved to Gruner + Jahr, initially as Editor-in-Chief of Schöner Wohnen, later assuming responsibility for other titles, including Brigitte and Essen & Trinken. Schäfer was appointed to the Executive Board of Gruner + Jahr in 2013 and was Chief Product Officer of the company from 2014 to 2021. Under his leadership, Gruner + Jahr developed new magazines and business areas.

From 2019, Schäfer was also a member of the management board of RTL Deutschland. RTL Deutschland has been the parent company of Gruner + Jahr within the Bertelsmann Group since 2022. As Chief Content Officer, Schäfer initially assumed overall responsibility for all content and brands before being promoted to CEO of RTL Germany together with Matthias Dang in 2021. During his tenure, RTL Deutschland and Gruner + Jahr were merged to strengthen the company in the face of global competition.

After leaving RTL Germany in the summer of 2022, Schäfer wrote his first novel: 25 letzte Sommer.

As a speaker, Stephan Schäfer not only impresses with his entrepreneurial expertise, but also with the uniqueness of his personal journey. He combines his experience from the media industry with the insights from his novel and encourages his audience to develop resilience. With his talks, he invites audiences to discover their own strength and shape their lives with more clarity and inner balance.