Dr Steffen Merkel

• CEO of the DFL GmbH
• Member of the DFL e.V. Executive Committee
• Chairman of the Sportcast GmbH Supervisory Board
• Member of the Sportec Solutions AG Supervisory Board

Born in in 1985, Dr Steffen Merkel is the CEO of the DFL GmbH as of July 2023. Before, as Executive Vice President of the Audiovisual Rights Division, he was responsible for domestic and international product management, in particular guaranteeing high-value coverage of German professional football globally, national media tenders, as well as the protection of audiovisual rights from copyright infringement.

Dr Steffen Merkel has been working for DFL GmbH since August 2014, initially as a management consultant and after that, from January 2018 on, as Head of Corporate Strategy of the DFL and Head of Global Operations of the DFL’s subsidiary Bundesliga International. In these roles, he was involved in the preparation and implementation of the 2016 and 2020 media rights calls for tender. He was also responsible for the development of the “DFL for Equity” investment strategy and the introduction of virtual advertising in the Bundesliga. Prior to this, Steffen Merkel, who holds a doctorate from EBS Business School, worked for the consulting firm The Boston Consulting Group.