Thomas Hesse was previously Sony Music Entertainment’s president in charge of global digital business, US sales and corporate strategy and became an a member of executive board of Germany’s Bertelsmann Media Group following the merger of the two giant media companies in 2004.
He left Bertelsmann at the end of 2013 and has since been working as a consultant. Hesse began his career in 1991 as a consultant with McKinsey.
Branding
Following the merger of Paddle8 and Auctionata in May, founder and former CEO of Auctionata Alexander Zacke will now become ‘chief marketplace officer’.
The company (now called Auctionata | Paddle8) has also named Lucas Hülsmann as its chief financial officer. He was formerly a finance manager at Procter & Gamble.
German-based Auctionata were formed in 2012 and US-based Paddle8 were launched in 2010. They both target a market with prices that generally fall below $50,000, though both claim sales records topping $1m.
At the time of the merger, it was envisaged that each company would continue under their own brand and from their existing locations.
