Sebastian Gundel
Skills and experience:
Sebastian brings more than two decades of leadership experience in the home improvement sector, most recently as Chief Executive Officer of OBI, a leading home improvement company with over 660 stores and 40,000 colleagues across ten countries, including its home market of Germany. As CEO, he led the company’s evolution from a traditional retailer into a digitally enabled, customer-centric, omnichannel business.
Prior to becoming CEO in 2022, he held a series of senior leadership roles spanning strategy, marketing, customer experience, digital transformation and international operations.
From 2020, Sebastian served as Chief Customer & Digital Officer, leading the company’s digital growth strategy and the launch of the heyOBI ecosystem, which has grown to more than 10 million registered users.
In 2017, he became Country Manager for Austria, where he successfully integrated the acquired Baumax business, expanding OBI Austria from around 15 stores to 70.
In 2015, he became Managing Director for Customer Officer and Marketing, while later establishing and leading OBI Next, the company’s innovation hub. In these roles, he developed and scaled a number of growth platforms, including loyalty, retail media, marketplaces and home services.
This work was well received by suppliers and had a positive impact on OBI’s employer brand.
He joined OBI as Head of Corporate Development in 2012.
Before OBI, Sebastian spent three years at OC&C Strategy Consultants, advising consumer and retail businesses on growth and transformation. He holds a doctorate in business administration and economics from the University of Münster.
Announced: October 2026
Appointed: 1 February 2027
