Penguin Random House CEO Markus Dohle has appointed Carsten Coesfeld CEO of the company’s DK subsidiary. Coesfeld, who takes over at DK on March 9, is succeeding Ian Hudson, who is stepping down from that position after more than three years.
In a note to employees, Dohle said Hudson is leaving to “recharge his batteries” before considering “more non-executive roles and expand[ing] his plural work portfolio across media and cultural industries generally.” Dohle praised Hudson for leading the turnaround of DK, which had “another strong performance in 2019.” Hudson will help with the transition to Coesfeld through April.
Coesfeld has worked in a number of positions at PRH parent company Bertelsmann. Most recently, Coesfeld was at Arvato, where he has been president of telecommunications in Arvato’s supply chain solutions group.
Dohle commended Coesfeld for his “collaborative and open style of leadership,” adding: “I’m personally looking forward to working closely with Carsten to enable even greater cooperation for DK with its sister Penguin Random House companies while ensuring that DK continues to be the distinct and independent company it has always been.”
