Daniela Schade

Daniela Schade, previously the Managing Director of AccorHotels Germany, has been appointed to the newly created position of Chief Commercial & Distribution Officer at Steigenberger Hotels AG/Deutsche Hospitality with effect from 1 December 2020. In her new role at Deutsche Hospitality, she will take charge of the areas of Franchise, Group Sales, E-Business, Revenue Management, CRM & Loyalty and Group Marketing. Hasan Yigit will continue to report to the CEO as Managing Director of Jaz in the City and Vice President Brand Strategy & Innovations.

Deutsche Hospitality does not represent uncharted territory for Daniela Schade. After originally training as a hotel specialist, she began her career at the Steigenberger Hotel Graf Zeppelin, where she took on the task of looking after VIP guests.

In establishing the new role of Chief Commercial & Distribution Officer, Deutsche Hospitality is putting a further important building block in place for the ongoing development of the company. "Daniela Schade has one of the highest profiles and most successful leadership track records in the fields of sales, growth and marketing. We are delighted to have been able to persuade her of the merits of moving to Deutsche Hospitality, one of Europe's premier hotel companies," stated Marcus Bernhardt, CEO, Deutsche Hospitality. "We will work together to set out the future direction of travel for restructuring and continuing growth."

Daniela Schade held various positions at AccorHotels between 2006 and 2010. As well as being Managing Director, she also acted as Senior Vice President with command of the Commercial Development Division for Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Her remit encompassed Distribution/E-Commerce, Sales and Revenue and Brand Management including the company's Loyalty Program. In 2003 she was awarded Sales & Marketing Manager of the Year by the Travel Industry Club. Prior to joining Accor, Ms. Schade worked for AVIS Car Rentals between 1988 and 2005. She ultimately advanced to the position of Director of Sales, in which role she headed up the Corporate Division as well as being responsible for tourism business. Daniela Schade also completed a degree in Marketing at the School of Business and Public Sector Management in Stuttgart after pursuing her studies on an in-service basis.

Ms. Schade sits on the Boards of the German Business Travel Association (VDR), the Federal Association of the German Tourism Industry (BTW) and the CGB (German Convention Bureau). She has also been regularly active in a wide range of honorary posts, in which her chief interests have centered on equal opportunities and diversity.