schauinsland-reisen strengthens corporate leadership
November 26, 2025
The schauinsland-reisen Group is reorganizing its corporate leadership, creating a strong and future-oriented foundation for sustainable growth as well as a clear separation between operational management and long-term entrepreneurial responsibility. As of December, the management board will be expanded by two long-standing internal executives. Building on this step, a structured process will begin with the aim of integrating additional external expertise into the executive management over the coming year.
Two long-serving executives promoted to the management board
With Markus Förster, who has been with the company for 27 years and has headed the flight division to date, and Detlef Schroer, who has led Sales & Reservation for 15 years, two highly experienced industry experts from within the organization are joining the executive management team. Förster will assume future responsibility as Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), while Schroer will take on the role of Chief Sales Officer (CSO). Both represent continuity, profound market knowledge, and the values of a well-established family business.
BU: Markus Förster becomes Chief Commercial Officer of schauinsland-reisen.
BU: Detlef Schroer becomes Chief Sales Officer of schauinsland-reisen.
“schauinsland-reisen has developed strong growth momentum in recent years,” says CEO Gerald Kassner. “The expansion of our executive management is a responsible step to meet the demands of this growth. We are creating a clear and reliable leadership architecture and strengthening our organizational alignment. At the same time, the shareholder family will remain closely involved in the strategic development of the company—this is an essential part of our identity.”
New leadership architecture in two stages
In the first stage, operational leadership will be broadened through internal competence and a wider distribution of responsibilities. This will create additional management capacity, clear accountabilities, and a robust basis to confidently steer growth and complexity in the future.
In the second stage, the executive management will be complemented by external leaders who will contribute specialized expertise and new impetus to the organization. In this context, a Supervisory Board will be established to reinforce governance matters, safeguard the company’s value-driven orientation, and accompany its long-term development. A strategic advisory council will also be created to support these objectives.
Steffen Kassner: “This step is taken out of responsibility and strengthens future viability.”
“I will concentrate on the areas where I can deliver the greatest long-term value: governance, strategic development, and representation of the company,” explains Steffen Kassner, Managing Director of the schauinsland-reisen Group. “With the new structure, we are drawing a clearer line between day-to-day operational leadership and long-term entrepreneurial responsibility. Operational management will deliberately lie in the hands of a broader and more specialized executive team.”
He adds: “The new architecture opens space for targeted external top-level expertise. Our company size and complexity make it sensible that the operational business is led by a more widely positioned and focused leadership team. We are taking this step out of responsibility toward our organization, our employees, our partners, and our customers.”
Experienced management teams ensure operational stability
The existing senior leadership level remains a key pillar of stability within the new structure. With Klaus Erdmann (Finance & Controlling), Andreas Rüttgers (Hotel Purchasing & Marketing), and Harald Rutert (Legal), the executive management continues to be supported by an established and well-coordinated team that combines operational excellence with strategic understanding.
A step driven by growth, responsibility, and future orientation
The reorganization reflects an exceptionally strong corporate development. With its own hotel portfolio, majority stakes in the airlines Sundair and Fly Air41, and the integration of the long-haul and modular travel specialist Explorer, schauinsland-reisen today ranks among the leading European tour operators. The further evolution of the leadership structure creates the conditions to continue this development successfully over the long term—independent of individual persons and firmly anchored in strategic clarity and the values of a modern family enterprise.