Björn Bauer Named CFO of Newly Combined BMG and Concord

Björn Bauer has been tapped as CFO of the newly combined BMG and Concord, with the announcement arriving Tuesday, May 12. He’ll be based in Nashville and report to Bob Valentine, who has been designated CEO of the merged company.

The move brings Bauer over from RTL Group, the entertainment company majority-owned by BMG parent Bertelsmann. He has served as CFO there since 2019, in addition to his work as executive director and a member of the executive committee. In RTL’s telling, Bauer has been central to the company’s transformation, from sharpening its focus on its biggest business units to expanding Fremantle and helping build out a profitable streaming business. His résumé also includes involvement in deals such as the acquisition of Sky Deutschland in GSA and the sale of RTL Netherlands.

Before RTL, Bauer held senior leadership positions at Bertelsmann starting in 2007. Those roles included executive vp of corporate controlling and strategy, as well as CFO of Relias, the company’s U.S.-based online learning provider.

For now, though, the transition is still exactly that. Until the BMG-Concord transaction closes, BMG’s current CFO Mathis Wolter will remain in place at the Berlin-based company and continue supporting the integration with Concord before moving into a new role within Bertelsmann. Concord CFO Kent Hoskins will also stay on until the deal closes, after which he’s expected to take another senior leadership role within the combined company.

Thomas Coesfeld, the designated chairman of the combined BMG and Concord, praised Bauer’s record in the announcement, calling him someone with “a wealth of experience” and “a proven track record of delivering strong results through operational excellence and disciplined financial management.” Coesfeld added that he was glad Bauer is expected to join after the transaction closes, and thanked Wolter for helping shape BMG’s strategic transformation over the past three years.

Valentine echoed that point, saying Bauer’s financial background would be important as the company focuses on “sustainable growth and long-term value creation” once the deal is complete.

Bauer, for his part, framed the merger in wider industry terms, saying the combined BMG and Concord will be well placed to seize new opportunities thanks to its “talent focus, entrepreneurial spirit and global scale,” alongside continued investment in catalogs and talent. “I am excited to join the combined company upon closing of the transaction, a pivotal moment in its growth journey,” he said. “I look forward to partnering with the teams to drive the combined company’s next phase of growth and support its long-term strategic ambitions.”