CTS Eventim EVP steps down after 26 years

CTS Eventim’s executive vice president and general counsel Rainer Appel is leaving the company at the end of March, after 26 years.

Following his departure, the long-serving executive will transition to an advisory role at the German live entertainment firm.

His position as non-executive director for the Italian subsidiary TicketOne and for the Eventim Apollo in London will not be affected.

Arne Fritz, vice president venues & real estate, will take over Appel’s venue business. Tilman Wink will assume the role of general counsel and head of the legal department from 1 April.

“I am extremely grateful to Rainer for his loyalty, his tireless dedication and the excellent collaboration that has connected us for more than a quarter of a century. CTS Eventim has grown tremendously during this time, and Rainer always kept his eye on the big picture, without losing sight of the important details. So I’m delighted that he will continue to work with us in an advisory role. I wish Rainer the very best for this new phase of life,” says Klaus-Peter Schulenberg, CEO, CTS Eventim.

“I am extremely grateful to Rainer for his loyalty, his tireless dedication and the excellent collaboration”

Appel adds: “After nearly 26 years of making CTS Eventim my priority, it’s now time for me to focus more on my personal life. I was lucky to experience an incredibly exciting phase in the evolution of a wonderful company and I am deeply thankful to Klaus for the trust he put in me. I am also grateful to my colleagues, everyone at CTS Eventim, and the countless other outstanding people I had the honour of working with over so many years.”

After joining the company in 1998, Appel was actively involved in the growth of the CTS Eventim group. Alongside his role as general counsel, he took responsibility for many other areas of the business, including corporate communications and international business development.

Over the past 16 years, Appel established and grew CTS Eventim’s venue division, which today includes some of the best-known and most popular event venues in Europe.

Appel also drove forward the planning and construction of the largest and most sustainable multifunctional arena in Italy, Arena Santa Guilia, which will be completed in late 2025.

In the past fortnight, CTS Eventim has enjoyed several milestones including its 18th record year of revenue since its IPO in 2000 and its highest-ever share price, which today peaked further at €82.20.

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