Effective 1 November 2026, Lars Ziegler will be appointed Chief Information Officer (CIO) of DERTOUR Group. With this appointment, DERTOUR Group is bringing its international IT organisation closer together. At the same time, it is further expanding its capabilities in key future-focused areas such as in-house development and AI. In his new role, Ziegler will report to Boris Raoul, CEO Germany and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of DERTOUR Group, and will become a member of the Group’s Extended Executive Board.
While Boris Raoul is responsible for the Group’s overall technology strategy, Ziegler will lead its Group-wide implementation and the ongoing harmonisation of IT, technology standards and data governance. As part of the new set-up, João Gonzaga, currently Group CDO, will take on Group-wide responsibility for Cyber Safety & Security and, in his new role as Vice President Group IT Corporate Functions, for the strategic transformation and development of the Group’s central IT landscape, including key finance and HR systems and other Group-wide IT systems.
Lars Ziegler brings more than 15 years of experience in leading IT transformations and international technology organisations. As CIO of IGEL Technology and previously Deputy CIO of FTI Group, he successfully modernised complex IT landscapes, advanced cloud and AI initiatives and delivered global transformation programmes in multinational companies. Earlier leadership roles at TeamViewer and STAUFEN also gave him extensive experience in enterprise platforms, digital transformation and scalable operating models.
Boris Raoul, Chief Technology Officer of DERTOUR Group, says: “Lars Ziegler combines extensive transformation experience with strong operational leadership. He knows how to modernise complex technology landscapes, strengthen international teams and effectively implement a Group-wide technology strategy. He will play a key role in bringing our IT organisation closer together and further accelerating our technological development.”
Lars Ziegler adds: “I look forward to working with the IT teams in our markets to further strengthen Group-wide collaboration and consistently drive our technological transformation forward.”
Stronger Group-wide alignment of IT
The newly defined CIO role underscores DERTOUR Group’s ambition to further strengthen cross-market collaboration. The focus will be on creating a more integrated and centralised IT landscape based on shared platforms, architectures, data governance and technology standards for all entities. Under the new structure, all local CIOs will report to Lars Ziegler, creating clear Group-wide accountability for IT implementation while preserving local market expertise. This will accelerate the rollout of common technologies, standards and solutions across the organisation.
Expanding Group-wide development and AI capabilities
Going forward, DERTOUR Group also intends to further strengthen its internal technology capabilities. This will include the targeted expansion of in-house development capabilities and the continued development of its own product and component ecosystem. In addition, the Group will continue to advance agentic AI use cases that enable more intelligent processes and services for customers and employees. In this context, Boris Raoul says: “Technology will become a true differentiator for our business. By expanding our in-house development capabilities, accelerating time to market and advancing agentic AI, we can innovate faster, reduce complexity and create better experiences for our guests and employees.”
Part of the Tech & Touch strategy
Commenting on the broader strategy, Raoul says: “This also reflects our Tech & Touch approach: we use technology to make travel simpler and more personalised while preserving the expertise and personal service our guests value. Stronger technology foundations will enable our teams to serve customers even better at every touchpoint.”
Stronger focus on cybersecurity
As part of the new set-up, DERTOUR Group is also strengthening its focus on cybersecurity. João Gonzaga will assume Group-wide responsibility for Cyber Safety & Security. The focus will be on strengthening the Group’s cyber resilience and advancing key technology programmes across markets and business units. Raoul says: “Cybersecurity is a business-critical priority. As the threat landscape evolves and resilient digital operations become increasingly important, we are sharpening our focus on Cyber Safety & Security while building a more integrated technology organisation.”
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BU: Lars Ziegler, CIO DERTOUR Group
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Background:
DERTOUR Group has its head office in Cologne, Germany, and is REWE Group’s travel and tourism division. As one of Europe’s leading travel groups, DERTOUR Group encompasses approximately 200 companies and employs over 16,500 people worldwide. Every year, millions of guests travel with one of the Group’s tour operators or specialists. DERTOUR Group includes tour operators such as DERTOUR, ITS, Meiers Weltreisen, Kuoni, Helvetic Tours, ITS Coop Travel, Billa Reisen, Koning Aap, Apollo, Exim Tours and Fischer, as well as around 1,850 travel agencies (such as DERTOUR, DERPART, Kuoni, Exim, and Fischer, plus franchises and partners), the hotel brands Sentido, Aldiana, and ananea and the online travel agency Prijsvrij Vakanties. The DERTOUR Group also offers on-site support: The company runs an agency network with 71 offices in 31 travel destinations. The staff in the destination agencies assist the guests of the DERTOUR Group from their arrival at their holiday destination until their departure. For more information, visit www.dertour-group.com and follow us on LinkedIn.