Executive Board

Company Management

The executive board at Ernsting’s family is strongly committed to the company’s long-term strategy. Each individual sees themselves as a team player and takes responsibility for driving forward the company’s economic and cultural goals with a high degree of willingness to innovate and change.

The close collaboration between all areas of management and thinking across hierarchies and sectors forms the foundation for mutual cooperation. In times of rapidly changing digital retail environments, trust and decency are essential when dealing with each other. The management team stands for ambition, discipline, fairness and a sense of community.

CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of the Ernsting’s family group

Prof Timm Homann

Prof Timm Homann has been CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of the Ernsting’s family group since 2014. Prior to that, he was a member of the executive board of the Otto Group from 2007 to 2014. He was responsible for multichannel retail and tourism activities and was also responsible for the North American and British regions. Prof. Dr. Homann has also been Vice-President of the Handelsverband Deutschland (HDE) in Berlin and a member of the Executive Committee of the Centre for Research in Retailing (IfH) in Cologne since 2011. He teaches trade management, strategic leadership and strategic marketing at the Faculty of Economics at Hochschule Bremen – City University of Applied Sciences. Prof. Dr. Homann studied at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Chicago (MBA) and WHU, Vallendar. He completed his doctorate at the University of Hamburg under the renowned socio-economist Alexander Deichsel.

Prof. Dr. Timm Homann is married and has three children.

CFO (Chief Financial Officer & Corporate Services) of the Ernsting’s family group

Horst Beeck

Horst Beeck has been CFO (Chief Financial Officer & Corporate Services) of EHG GmbH & Co. KG since July 2012 and is responsible for controlling, finance and accounting, information technology and services, business intelligence and human resources. Prior to that, he worked as Head of Controlling for the Ernsting’s family group from May 2007 to June 2012. From October 1998 to April 2007, Horst Beeck headed up various commercial divisions for companies belonging to Schwarz Pharma AG, a former M-DAX listed and internationally active pharmaceutical company with headquarters in Monheim. He gained his first work experience in the early 1990s working in the metal processing industry and plant construction, but also in the wholesale and retail trade of consumer electronics at ElectronicPartner. Horst Beeck studied economics at the University of Applied Sciences in Düsseldorf and graduated with a degree in economics.

Horst Beeck is married and has two children.

CAO (Chief Assortment Officer) at Ernsting’s family

Adrian Cüppers

Adrian Cüppers is CAO (Chief Assortment Officer) at Ernsting’s family GmbH & Co. KG and is responsible for the areas of assortments, design, planning and assortment control. From 2013 to 2015, he was Managing Director of Dodenhof and was responsible for the areas of fashion, sports, shoes, watches/jewellery and perfumery. From 2008 to 2013, Mr Cüppers was a member of the management board at Peek&Cloppenburg KG in Hamburg and was responsible for purchasing and procurement for domestic, foreign and e-commerce. Since October 2017, he has also been a member of the executive committee for the Bundesverband des Deutschen Textil-, Schuh- und Lederwareneinzelhandels e.V., BTE.

Adrian Cüppers is married and has two children.

CPO (Chief Procurement Officer) at Ernsting’s family

Dr. Stephan Harms

Dr Stephan Harms has been Chief Procurement Officer (CPO) at Ernsting’s family since 1 July 2026. Having joined the company in 2009, he has played a key role in shaping its development in various roles, most recently as an authorised signatory and Director of Strategic Procurement Development.
Since 2016, he has also worked as a lecturer, most recently at Münster University of Applied Sciences, specialising in corporate and sustainability management. Dr Harms holds master’s degrees in Management & Economics from Ruhr University Bochum and in Sustainability Management from Leuphana University Lüneburg. During his doctoral studies at Leibniz University Hannover, he was awarded the EHI Science Prize in 2022. He also completed an Executive MBA at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management.
Dr Harms is married and has three children.

CPLO (Chief Portfolio & Logistics Officer) at Ernsting’s family

Daniel Köster

Daniel Köster has been a member of the executive board since 2019 and CPLO (Chief Portfolio & Logistics Officer) at Ernsting’s family since 2023. He is responsible for the store portfolio strategy, construction and facility management, as well as distribution logistics. After studying industrial engineering, Mr Köster joined the company in 2004. He worked in controlling and sales coordination before being appointed Head of Strategic Sales Development, Customer Service and Store Audits in 2010. Daniel Köster was also one of the group’s authorised representatives from 2013. Since then, Mr Köster has played a pivotal role in shaping the company’s development. Having been part of the “family” for so many years, he has extensive knowledge of the industry and a deep understanding of what sets Ernsting’s family apart. This combination is incredibly important when it comes to positioning the company for the future.

Daniel Köster is married and has one child.

CCOO (Chief Customer & Omnichannel Officer) at Ernsting’s family

David Kösters

As CCOO (Chief Customer & Omnichannel Officer), David Kösters has been responsible for stationary and digital sales as well as corporate development at Ernsting's family since 1 July 2024. After completing his studies in economics, David Kösters joined the company in 2011 and initially went through the Ernsting’s family trainee programme. He worked as a project manager in strategic sales development for seven years before he started his corporate development with a focus on strategy and project portfolio management in 2019. Since 2022, David Kösters has also been responsible for strategic expansion and lease management at Ernsting’s family.

David Kösters has played a crucial role in the organisation of the Ernsting’s family group’s strategic direction for more than a decade.