Seamless transition for continuity and stability: Redcare Pharmacy with internal succession plan for Stephan Weber (CCO) and Marc Fischer (CIO).

Seamless transition for continuity and stability: Redcare Pharmacy with internal succession plan for Stephan Weber (CCO) and Marc Fischer (CIO).

• Dirk Brüse and Lode Fastré, both long-standing managers at Redcare Pharmacy, are to succeed Stephan Weber and Marc Fischer as CCO and CIO.
• Board members and founders see the ideal time for the leadership transition: "We have an excellent market position today and the succession team we've built up over the years will ensure a seamless transition.”
• Stephan Weber and Marc Fischer will continue to support the company in an advisory capacity until 1 October 2026.

Sevenum, 4 March 2024. Today, the Supervisory Board of Redcare Pharmacy agreed to the early departure request of the Managing Board members and founders Stephan Weber (CCO) and Marc Fischer (CIO). This decision comes at an ideal time to transition leadership responsibilities approximately one year before the end of their regular terms of office. The internal succession plan also underlines Redcare Pharmacy´s commitment to continuity, stability and sustainable growth. This plan had been carefully developed and is the result of an extensive evaluation and selection process. Dirk Brüse and Lode Fastré have been built up over many years as successors to Stephan Weber and Marc Fischer and are now ready to take up their roles following their formal appointment by the Annual General Meeting on 17 April 2024. Both Dirk Brüse and Lode Fastré have demonstrated exemplary leadership, unparalleled expertise and unwavering commitment during their many years of senior leadership, positioning them as natural successors. The succession plan also underlines the Supervisory Board's confidence in their ability to lead the company to sustained success.

Björn Söder, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Redcare Pharmacy, comments: "Stephan and Marc have pioneered the digitalisation of the pharmacy market. As co-founders of the Redcare Pharmacy success story, they have been at the forefront of a new era in healthcare. On behalf of the entire Supervisory Board, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to both of them for their commitment and vision. It is also fantastic that with Dirk and Lode we have been able to recruit two impressive leaders from our own ranks. Both have the culture and DNA of Redcare Pharmacy, plus the expertise to continue the success story.”

For more than two decades, the company's two co-founders, Stephan Weber and Marc Fischer, have successfully driven the development of Redcare Pharmacy. From its roots as an online shop for a local pharmacy in Cologne, Germany, the company has grown to almost 11 million active customers and, according to the published preliminary figures, generated annual sales of EUR 1.8 billion last year.

"We founded Redcare Pharmacy in 2001 to take advantage of the then already debated introduction of e-prescriptions. It took a little longer than expected, but together with our strong team, we managed to build the company into Europe's leading online pharmacy even before the introduction of electronic prescriptions," Stephan Weber and Marc Fischer recall. "We are convinced that the excellent positioning of Redcare Pharmacy makes this the perfect time for us to step back from our active role and pass on responsibility to our successors Dirk and Lode. In their new roles, both will bring a great deal of energy, passion and commitment to achieving Redcare Pharmacy's long-term goals and vision together with their Board colleagues.”

Dirk Brüse and Lode Fastré have been an integral part of the company's senior leadership team for about seven years, and in their respective roles they have contributed significantly to executing the strategy and thus building Redcare Pharmacy's success story.

Dirk Brüse has been with Redcare Pharmacy since 2017 and, as Executive Director Country Management and Marketing, his responsibilities include managing the P&L for the DACH region and Retail Media. Before joining Redcare Pharmacy, he worked for L'Oréal and Vodafone, among others. Lode Fastré is one of the founders of the online pharmacy Farmaline, which was acquired in 2016. He developed the initial Farmaline platform, drove several technology initiatives and was instrumental in the international expansion of the Redcare Pharmacy business model through the integration of the Belgian company. This laid the foundation for the company's subsequent leadership position in Europe. Lode Fastré has a comprehensive understanding of Redcare Pharmacy, including its IT landscape. With over 15 years of experience in the online pharmacy sector, he is a pioneer in the industry in every sense of the word.

The designated CCO Dirk Brüse says: "I feel honoured to have been nominated for this exciting new opportunity. I look forward to continuing and developing Redcare Pharmacy's strategy. Together with the fantastic team we have around us, we will seize the opportunities and lead the business into an even more successful future."

“Being part of the Redcare Pharmacy family, I am fully committed to drive IT innovation, continue our tradition of excellence and further strengthen our leadership position in Europe," the nominated CIO Lode Fastré adds.

Both, Stephan Weber and Marc Fischer, have agreed with the Supervisory Board to be at the Group's disposal in an advisory capacity until 2026.
 

Detailed information on the proposed candidates can be found in the invitation to the Annual General Meeting.

The Annual General Meeting is scheduled to take place on 17 April 2024 at 10:00 a.m. (CEST) and will be organised as a hybrid meeting.

All AGM materials (including the convening notice, the agenda with the explanatory notes thereto and other relevant documents) will be available as of 5 March 2024 via the link https://ir.redcare-pharmacy.com/hauptversammlung.
 

Investor Relations Contact:

Monica Ambrosi (Associate Director, Investor Relations)

investors@redcare-pharmacy.com
 

Press Contact:

Sven Schirmer (Director, Corporate Communications)

press@redcare-pharmacy.com

About Redcare Pharmacy

Originally founded in 2001, Redcare Pharmacy N.V. (formerly known as Shop Apotheke Europe N.V.) today is the leading e-pharmacy in Europe, currently active in seven countries: Germany, Austria, France, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

Headquartered in Sevenum, close to the Dutch city of Venlo and in the heart of Europe, the company has locations in Cologne, Berlin, Munich, Tongeren, Warsaw, Milan, Lille and Eindhoven.

As the one-stop pharmacy of the future, Redcare Pharmacy offers over 10 million active customers a wide range of more than 150,000 products at attractive and fair prices. Besides OTC, nutritional supplements, beauty and personal care products as well as an extensive assortment of health-related products in all markets, the company also provides prescription drugs for customers in Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

Pharmaceutical safety is of top priority. Being a pharmacy at its core, Redcare stands for comprehensive pharmaceutical consultation service. Since care is at the heart of everything Redcare does, the company provides services for all stages of life and health. This ranges from its marketplaces to unique delivery options and medication management.

Redcare Pharmacy N.V. has been listed on the Regulated Market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (Prime Standard) since 2016. As of 19 June 2023, the company is a member of the MDAX selection index.