Lidl GB appoints new CEO

Lidl GB has announced the promotion of Ryan McDonnell as its newest CEO with effect 1 February 2022.

He replaces Christian Härtnagel who will be moving to the role of CEO at Lidl Germany on 1 March 2022.

Härtnagel has been CEO of the UK group for more than five years, having been promoted from the role of chief operations officer for Lidl Austria, where he was responsible for sales and operations.

He has been with Lidl for over 18 years, holding a variety of roles during his tenure including regional director at Lidl Ireland.

Härtnagel replaces current Lidl Germany CEO and member of Lidl’s International board, Matthias Oppitz, who will take on a new international role.

Meanwhile, McDonnell‘s career at Lidl extends over 21 years. The former chief commercial officer of Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland moved to Lidl GB in the role of chief commercial officer in 2015. He was also promoted to deputy CEO in 2021.

He said: “Christian hands over a business built on strong foundations and I’m incredibly excited to have the baton passed on to me.

“I have worked at Lidl GB now for over six years, during which time we have seen our store estate, colleagues and customer numbers grow exponentially. We couldn’t be in a better place as a business and I feel privileged to be taking us forward from here.”