Chrono24 names Zalando’s Carsten Keller as CEO

Global marketplace for luxury watches Chrono24 has announced that former Zalando executive Carsten Keller will take over as chief executive officer, effective January 1, 2024.

Keller will succeed co-chief executive’s Tim Stracke and Holger Felgner, who are handing over the reins to “unlock the next phase of growth” for Chrono24.

Stracke said in a statement: “While the decision hasn’t been easy, Holger and I always knew that we would eventually need to find a successor to lead Chrono24 into the next phase of growth. Carsten’s expertise in the luxury industry and with fast-paced online marketplaces as well as his experience in the leadership team of a publicly traded company make him a one-in-a-million candidate to unlock the next chapter for Chrono24. We are very excited to witness all he will do.”

Chrono24 taps Zalando executive Carsten Keller as chief executive officer

Over the past eight years, Keller has been instrumental in building Europe’s leading marketplace for fashion brands and retailers at Zalando, contributing more than 5 billion Euros to the platform's overall gross merchandise value. As a part of that, Keller also founded Zalando’s Connected Retail venture, enabling more than 7,500 offline retailers to sell their goods online.

Stracke and Felgner will remain key shareholders and continue to support the company as active members of the board, which Stracke will lead as its chairman.

Deven Parekh, managing partner at Insight Partners and investor in Chrono24, added: "The board is indebted to Tim and Holger for their exceptional leadership and invaluable contributions, which have been pivotal to Chrono24’s success.

“Taking over at the helm, Carsten is undoubtedly the best possible successor. He is a proven leader, a great cultural fit, has strong business vision and the ability to bring people together. His perspective on the global future of the luxury industry aligns perfectly with Chrono24's needs as we embark on a new phase of further product innovation and growth."

Chrono24, founded in 2003, offers new, used, and vintage watches and has over 530,000 watches from more than 35,000 professional retailers and private sellers. The platform attracts an average of 9 million users globally per month, shopping in 22 languages.