RTL Group hires Hendrik von der Linden as head of strategy, Jan Peter Lacher becomes senior AI advisor

Hendrik von der Linden (left) and Jan Peter Lacher

RTL Group has appointed Hendrik von der Linden as executive VP of strategy, transformation and business development to replace Jan Peter Lacher, who is shifting to a new AI-focused role at the European media giant.

Von der Linden will join RTL Group in Cologne from RTL Deutschland, where he is currently senior VP of commercial, strategy and partnerships for RTL+ and a member of the integration team for the combination of RTL Deutschland and Sky Deutschland.

In his new position, von der Linden will report to RTL Group CEO Clément Schwebig. He succeeds Jan Peter Lacher, who has taken on the newly created role of senior advisor to RTL Group’s CEO for AI.

Von der Linden will work with RTL Group’s executive committee to define and execute the group’s corporate strategy, including identifying growth opportunities and evaluating potential M&A transactions and strategic partnerships. He will also take over the coordination of RTL Group’s ‘synergy committees’ from Lacher.

Von der Linden began his professional career as a lawyer at Freshfields, where he advised media and telecommunications companies. In 2014, he joined Central European Media Enterprises (formerly part of Time Warner), where he held several executive positions across Central and Eastern Europe.

He went on to work as a strategy consultant for Greek media company Antenna and at Boston Consulting Group. In 2024, he joined RTL Deutschland and was promoted to senior VP, commercial, strategy and partnerships, at RTL+ in October 2024.

He has also been a core member of the team working on the Sky Deutschland acquisition and integration.

Lacher, meanwhile, started his career at RTL Deutschland in 2000 as executive assistant to the head of programming at flagship channel RTL. For more than 15 years, he successfully directed programme strategy and planning for RTL Television.

He was also responsible for the successful launch of the TV channels Nitro (2012) and RTL Up (2016). In 2023, he joined RTL Group’s corporate centre as senior VP of content. In early 2025, he was promoted to senior VP of content and business development. In this role, he developed RTL Group’s AI strategy.

Earlier this month, RTL Group hailed a “strong” first-half performance in 2026, driven by streaming growth and the completed acquisition of Sky Deutschland, although subsidiary Fremantle’s revenues were down compared with the first half of 2025.

Schwebig said: “Hendrik von der Linden combines international experience in the media industry, strategic thinking and hands-on operational leadership. Since joining RTL Deutschland, he has played an important role in accelerating the growth of RTL+ by forging key partnerships and supporting the acquisition of Sky Deutschland.

“Over the past three years, Jan Peter Lacher has successfully led RTL Group’s AI transformation. He has built partnerships with leading technology companies and worked closely with teams across RTL Group to redesign key workflows along the value chain. I am very pleased that he will now dedicate his full focus to this important topic.”