Germany’s Semper idem Underberg has promoted CFO Michael Söhlke to CEO with immediate effect.
Söhlke (below, left), who has served on the liqueur group’s executive board since 2020, takes on the leadership role while also assuming a seat on the supervisory board of Austrian subsidiary Gurktaler. The move, announced late last month, comes as the company looks to realign its management structure.
The decision follows the board’s decision to extend the contracts of both Söhlke and fellow executive Thomas Mempel (above, right), who has since become CCO, ahead of schedule.
Söhlke joined the privately-owned liqueur company in 2020 as CFO, having previously worked at food wholesaler Metro for seven years and two years each at Makro Cash & Carry and Media Markt.
Under the revised structure, brand management and Germany marketing functions will be merged, a step Underberg said is intended to align commercial execution more closely across its sales and marketing.
Last April, German herbal liqueur peer Mast-Jägermeister hired the former head of Rémy Cointreau, Frederic Pflanz, as the deputy chair of its supervisory board.
