As of May 1, 2023, there will be a change in the management of Penny Austria with responsibility for 309 locations and 2,900 employees. Mario Märzinger will be succeeded by Mike Podobrin, who as Managing Director of Penny Austria will in future report to Michael Jäger, Member of the Management Board of REWE International AG responsible for Penny International. Mike Podobrin joins Penny Austria as a highly experienced manager who has held several positions in purchasing, marketing and strategy consulting. Among others, at the former Karstadt Warenhaus GmbH and as Senior Director Sales & Marketing at Metro Cash & Carry. Since January 2016, Podobrin has been responsible for Strategic Marketing at Penny International as Division Manager.
Also on May 1, 2023, Kai Pataky will succeed Ralf Teschmit and, as Managing Director Penny Austria, will also report to Management Board member Michael Jäger in the future. After starting as a sales trainee at REWE International AG in 2007, Pataky quickly advanced to regional or sales manager for BILLA and then to sales director for BIPA, from where he was appointed to the role of managing director or, most recently, CEO of BIPA Croatia in November 2019. Leading BIPA Croatia following Kai Pataky's transition will be Tina Jurjevic as CEO and Marijan Boskovic as CFO.
"I am delighted to have Mike Podobrin and Kai Pataky on board, two experienced retail managers who know both Penny International and the Austrian market very well and will complement each other so well. I would particularly like to thank Mario Märzinger and Ralf Teschmit for their successful efforts and the good positioning of Penny Austria, which has picked up speed especially in recent years. Numerous innovations, such as the expansion of the butcher's service, the Frischeheld and the successful introduction of the new store design concept 'PENNYversum' in Austria took place under their leadership. I wish them all the best for their personal and professional future," said Michael Jäger, CEO of REWE International AG.
Mario Märzinger, Managing Director since July 2020, will leave the company at his own request on July 31 to pursue new professional challenges. Born in Austria, Märzinger had already brought with him a wide range of expertise from the digital economy and marketing when he joined REWE Group in April 2016.
Ralf Teschmit, as a long-standing Managing Director, will accompany the induction of future colleagues until the fall, before he, too, wants to go new ways at his own request. Before joining Penny Austria in October 2016, Mr. Teschmit already had extensive management experience in international management as well as at Nordsee, Lekkerland and Ankerbrot, among others.
