German soccer side RB Leipzig has announced the appointment of Swiss soccer executive Tatjana Haenni as the new club chief executive, replacing the long-serving Oliver Mintzlaff.
She will lead a revamped RB Leipzig management board that will include managing director and chief business officer Johann Plenge, managing director and chief financial officer Florian Hopp, and managing director for sport Marcel Schafer.
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Plenge in particular will take on an expanded remit, adopting the role of deputy chair of the management board, and overseeing RB Leipzig’s liaising with national and international federations as well as the Bundesliga.
Haenni will step into the role from January 1, 2026, joining from North American women’s soccer’s NWSL competition, where she had been chief sporting director since January 2023.
Before that role, Haenni, a former professional soccer player in her own right, had multiple years of experience leading women’s soccer at the Swiss national association between 2018 and 2022.
Perhaps the bulk of her experience came at the global FIFA soccer governing body, where she served between 1999 and 2017 in a variety of roles, including manager for women’s football, head of women’s competitions, and finally, deputy director and head of women’s football.
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By GlobalDataHaenni said of her new role: “My discussions with the club’s leadership were marked by trust and appreciation, and I am convinced that with strong teamwork and a focus on RB Leipzig’s strengths, we can tap into significant potential.
“I can’t wait to get started in January and to get to know the club on a deeper level. Together, we want to continue on what is already a successful path and achieve our ambitious goals.”
Since attaining promotion to the top-flight in 2016, RB Leipzig has finished no worse than seventh in the division, regularly competing in the elite UEFA Champions League, and the team is currently sitting second in the league after 13 games.
Oliver Mintzlaff became RB Leipzig chief executive back in 2014, but departed the club back in 2022 in order to take up a wider role at the Red Bull sporting group, with Plenge and Hopp stepping in to run the club in his absence.
On Haenni’s appointment, Mintzlaff himself commented: “We are extremely pleased to have been able to appoint Tatjana Haenni as a strong leader in the position of [chief executive] at RB Leipzig. In our discussions, she impressed us and the committees with her expertise, as well as her combination of specialist knowledge, leadership strength and strategic thinking.
“We expect that she will provide new input and fresh impetus, helping us to remain well-equipped for the future and continue to meet rising demands.
“Tatjana Haenni is a team player, and we are convinced that together with Johann Plenge, Marcel Schäfer, Florian Hopp, and the entire management team, she will successfully shape the club’s next stages of development.”
