Swiss woman becomes head of management at RB Leipzig

Bundesliga soccer club RB Leipzig will have a new CEO next year. Tatjana Haenni from Switzerland will take up her new role as CEO at RB Leipzig from January 1, 2026, as announced by the second-placed team in the table. There is currently no other woman at the helm of a Bundesliga club.

RB is filling the vacant position of CEO following the departure of Oliver Mintzlaff, thus underlining its ambition to "make the club fit for the future with an expanded management structure", according to the press release. The management team also includes Johann Plenge (Business), Florian Hopp (Administration) and Marcel Schäfer (Sport).

One of the driving forces in women's football

Haenni was a Swiss international and also worked as a coach. She has been one of the driving forces in women's soccer for many years. She held positions of responsibility at UEFA and FIFA and also helped organize the 2011 Women's World Cup in Germany.

She was once the first woman to be appointed to the executive board of the Swiss Football Association. Haenni most recently took up her post as Sports Director at the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) in the USA on January 1, 2023.

"I am very much looking forward to the new role and working with Johann Plenge, Florian Hopp, Marcel Schäfer and all the staff," said Haenni in a statement. "I can hardly wait to get started in January and get to know the club even better and more intensively. Together, we want to continue on the successful path we have taken and achieve our ambitious goals."