In the past few weeks there have been interesting chair changes in the world of HR consultants and service providers. Here we present the most important ones.
The Stepstone Group has appointed Christian Schmalzl as its new Chief Executive Officer. Schmalzl will take up his position on September 1, 2026 and succeeds Sebastian Dettmers, who is leaving the company after 15 years. Dettmers has been CEO since January 2020 and previously served as Managing Director for Germany from 2011; Under his leadership, Stepstone developed from a European job exchange into an HR technology group with activities in Europe and the USA, according to the company.
Schmalzl comes from Ströer, where he most recently served as co-CEO, and brings with him experience in scaling digital platforms as well as corporate management in growth and transformation phases. Dettmers will remain in office over the summer to oversee the transition. It is not known what will happen next for Dettmers after StepStone. When asked by our editorial team, he said that he was currently focusing entirely on his last three months at Stepstone. The Stepstone Group, based in Düsseldorf, says it employs around 3,000 people and is active in more than ten countries.
Florian Frank becomes Head of Work & Rewards Europe at WTW
The consulting company WTW is appointing Florian Frank as Head of Work & Rewards (W&R) Europe on June 1, 2026. Frank has previously been responsible, together with Ariane Köhler, for the W&R business in Germany and Austria, which both have built up together over the past few years. With the change in leadership, Köhler will take over sole management of the German-speaking business. In his new role, Frank is responsible for the strategic direction of the W&R division in Europe with the aim of scaling the integrated consulting approach of technology, data and compensation strategy to additional markets. The change comes shortly before the deadline for implementing the EU Pay Transparency Directive into national law on June 7, 2026, which significantly increases the pressure on companies to act in the area of remuneration and reporting across Europe.
Tobias Weigl becomes Chief Digital Officer at von Rundstedt
The outplacement and workforce transformation specialist from Rundstedt has expanded its management team: Tobias Weigl joined the company management as the third managing director and Chief Digital Officer (CDO) on April 1, 2026. In the future, he will be responsible for the areas of digital products, IT and platforms and will also set up the new software-as-a-service business model under the “Thrive” brand. Weigl has a doctorate in mathematics, has an MBA and further qualifications as a data scientist with a focus on AI and has been managing director of several companies in the areas of managed services, HR tech and B2B software for the past eight years. He complements the management with Sophia von Rundstedt and Christian Summa.
Yael Klass becomes VP of Brand at Hi Bob
The HR and payroll platform Hi Bob (proper spelling: HiBob) has appointed Yael Klass as Vice President of Brand. According to the company, Klass has more than ten years of experience in brand management, marketing and corporate storytelling. Most recently, she headed corporate marketing at Similarweb, where she supported global brand development in growth phases. She previously held management positions at Promo and Wix. At Hi Bob, she will further develop the brand positioning around AI and the future of work and expand the company’s market presence internationally. The appointment comes at a time when the company says it is furthering its global expansion.
Nigel Wright Group re-occupies DACH & Benelux
The personnel consultancy Nigel Wright Group, which specializes in the consumer goods industry, is realigning its international management structure. Steffen Gemmel takes responsibility for the DACH and Benelux markets. He has been working for the company for several years, has 15 years of industry experience and has played a key role in building up the group’s interim business. Alexander Schweizer, who led the DACH and Benelux organization for eleven years, will move to the role of Managing Director North America on May 1, 2026 in order to strategically develop the business already established there.
Sana Piracha becomes CFO at Heycare
The Munich-based scale-up Heycare has appointed Sana Piracha as Chief Financial Officer. Piracha was already associated with the company as a business angel and advisory board member and actively supported the completion of the extended seed financing round of over four million euros in March 2026. She has been operationally active in the management team since the beginning of the year. According to a statement, the business graduate has many years of experience in investment banking and private equity, including at Lazard and One Equity Partners. In her new role, she is responsible for financial strategy and further expansion in the DACH region. Heycare positions itself as a provider of employee assistance programs with a focus on work-life balance.
Margit Wickhoff takes over co-management at Bud & Terence
The Austrian employer branding consultancy Bud & Terence has reorganized its management structure: Margit Wickhoff is taking over co-management alongside founder Gerd Liegerer. Wickhoff brings many years of experience in internal communications, content strategy and employer branding. With her appointment, the company is specifically expanding its service profile to include operational agency services – from internal communication strategy and employee formats to content concepts and recruiting communication along the employee lifecycle.
Wolfgang Weber takes on a key role at jobs.de
The international technology provider Jobiqo is expanding the management structure of the job exchange jobs.de, which it took over in December 2025: Wolfgang Weber is taking on a central role for market position, partnerships and further development of the portal. Weber previously held senior positions at meinestadt.de, the Königsteiner Group, Stepstone, Randstad and Job AG and, according to the company, brings extensive experience in sales, business development and platform business. According to its own information, Jobiqo operates more than 400 job exchanges internationally. With Weber, the company wants to further strengthen jobs.de as an independent portal in the German recruiting market.
DLA Piper appoints two new partners in Germany
The international business law firm DLA Piper has appointed 62 new partners worldwide as of May 1, 2026, including Nils Grunicke and Marcus P. Lerch at the Hamburg office. Grunicke has been with the firm since 2017 and specializes in employment law, with a focus on regulated compensation, litigation and internal investigations, particularly for clients in the financial services sector. Lerch has been working at DLA Piper since 2024 and is a member of the Litigation & Regulatory practice group. He advises companies in complex commercial law disputes before state courts as well as in arbitration and ADR proceedings.
