Press release: New CEO at woom

Vienna, 2 October 2024: Bernd Hake will take over the management of the Austrian children's and youth bike manufacturer woom in October 2024. He succeeds Paul Fattinger, who is leaving woom by mutual agreement after three years. Hake has more than 25 years of international experience, including the position as Chief Sales Officer at Hugo Boss AG. The change in management is a further step in the company's development from a start-up to an established international brand, according to the company.

Bernd Hake is the new CEO of woom: 57-year-old Bernd Hake is an internationally experienced manager with decades of expertise in management positions in the sports, lifestyle and fashion industry. Before working as CEO Global Consumer Products at Red Bull, Hake held various management positions at Hugo Boss for over 20 years. In 2016, he was appointed to the Executive Board and took over global sales management. Prior to this, he was Senior Vice President EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa) and Managing Director for the UK and Ireland, where he played a key role in driving the transformation to an omnichannel retailer.

Hake takes over the CEO position from Paul Fattinger, who is leaving woom by mutual agreement after three intensive years. Fattinger hands over a highly motivated team and a strong brand with great international potential. Under Fattinger's leadership, woom has developed from a start-up to a scale-up and achieved key milestones such as the further development of the product portfolio, the professionalization of the e-commerce business, the consolidation of the market position in the DACH region and the set-up for further internationalization.

Kasper Rørsted, Chairman of the woom Advisory Board, comments on the change in leadership: ‘woom has developed from a start-up to a clear market leader in the DACH region in recent years. Today, woom is an established brand with enormous potential and is now entering a new phase. With Bernd Hake, we have an internationally experienced manager heading woom, who has an impressive track record in scaling companies globally. At the same time, we would like to sincerely thank Paul for his achievements in leading woom through an extremely challenging time and paving the way for further international expansion.’

Marcus Ihlenfeld, woom founder and co-owner of woom, adds: ‘Paul has significantly shaped woom in recent years with his personality and set the course for a successful future. We are excited to have Bernd on board for the next chapter of woom. With his comprehensive understanding of the strategic development of international markets, he will continue to drive woom's internationalization forward at full speed. Because in the future, we will continue to focus on one thing above all else: bringing the joy of cycling to as many children as possible. That remains our mission.’

Bernd Hake on his new role at woom: ‘woom is an exceptional brand with international appeal that is characterized by innovation and customer focus. I am really looking forward to take over the leadership of woom and to reach new heights together with the highly motivated team. Together, we will take woom to a new level and significantly drive the profitable growth of this love brand.’

Paul Fattinger on his time at woom: ‘It has been a privilege to lead a company whose products put a smile on my face and on the faces of millions of kids and their families. I am proud of what we as a team have achieved. Today, woom is perfectly positioned for the next step. My greatest success is the team, to whom I would like to express my sincere thanks for the great cooperation. I will remain closely associated with woom - as a shareholder, but above all as the father of three passionate woom riders.’

About Bernd Hake
Bernd Hake, born in Mainz in 1967, trained as a banker at Dresdner Bank in Düsseldorf and then studied business administration at the University of Mainz. He began his career at PriceWaterhouse in New York, where he supported the digital transformation of Siemens Medical Systems to SAP.

Hake joined Hugo Boss in 1997 and held numerous management positions, including Managing Director for the UK and Ireland and Senior Vice President for the EMEA region. From 2016 to 2019, he was a member of the Executive Board for the Group's own retail, wholesale and global merchandising divisions. In 2022, he moved to Red Bull, where he was CEO Global Consumer Products and responsible for Alphatauri, Energy Wear and the licensing business.

The passionate sportsman (including an Ironman Frankfurt finisher) is married and has a daughter.

Downloadlink Portrait Bernd Hake, Copyright woom GmbH/VRATNY

About woom:

• Founded in 2013 by Christian Bezdeka and Marcus Ihlenfeld in a garage in Vienna
• woom has revolutionized children's bikes and set new standards
• woom bikes are superlight and ergonomic, have won multiple awards, and are equipped with numerous safety features
• Today, woom is a global brand with a presence in more than 30 countries around the globe, above all in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and the USA.
• 2020: woom welcomes a group of investors on board, with Marcus Ihlenfeld and Christian Bezdeka retaining a two-thirds majority
• 2021: woom establishes exclusive Europe-based production for the European market and the 500,000th woom bike rolls off the production line.
• 2022: woom advances internationalization by expanding the dealer network and D2C segment and welcomes the Jebsen Group on board as a new investor.
• 2023: 10 Years of Magic Moments: woom celebrates its tenth anniversary.

Inquiries & contact:

Belinda Ableitinger, PR Manager
+43-664/888-22-837
[email protected]
https://www.woom.com