Freshening Up at the Carlsen Publishing House: Harzer-Kux Steps In
Publishing house Carlsen-Verlag names a new chief executive officer - Newly Released Publication by Carlsen: A Fresh Offering
Swapping the executive seat at one of Hamburg's leading children's and young adult book publishers, Carlsen, is 52-year-old media maven Sandra Harzer-Kux. Come October, she takes the reins, joining forces with Joachim Kaufmann to manage operations, the publisher divulged. She replaces 14-year veteran Renate Herre.
Tapping into the imaginative realm since post-war days, Carlsen has graced bookshelves with its renowned "Pixi" books and cherished comic series like "Tintin". Today, it's a powerhouse, boasting a plethora of successful book series such as "Harry Potter", "The School of Magic Animals", and "Percy Jackson", to name a few. Add to that the soaring popularity of Twilight saga and Japanese manga albums like "Naruto" and "One Piece", and you've got a titan in the literary world.
In high praise of Renate Herre's trailblazing ventures, the CEO of the parent company, the German Bonnier Group, extolled, "Under the dynamic leadership of Renate Herre, Carlsen publishing house doubled its revenue, surging to become Germany's largest trade publisher, garnering over 110 million euros in sales." Harzer-Kux eagerly aims to built upon this success.
A seasoned media stalwart, Harzer-Kux has graced multiple management roles over the years, including at Gruner+Jahr and the communications company Territory. Most recently, she was in the headlines after being nominated for the NDR director position; however, she fell just short of obtaining the required votes in the broadcasting council. The broadcasting council elected NDR manager and journalist Hendrik Lünenborg as the new director.
- Carlsen Publishing House: A force in children's books and young adult literature
- Hamburg: Rooted in the heart of Germany's cultural hub
- Manga: Entertaining the young with Japanese comics
- Media Management: Years of experience leading in the industry
Insights:
Sandra Harzer-Kux, a German media manager born in 1972, launched her career in the media sector with a stint as a television production worker. Over the years, she's held several prestigious positions, including a tenure at Gruner + Jahr and a stint on the management board at Territory, a subsidiary of Gruner + Jahr. After leaving Territory at the end of 2024, she joined the management board at Bertelsmann Marketing Services from 2022 to 2024. In 2025, she was nominated for the Intendant of the Norddeutschen Rundfunks (NDR), but failed to obtain the necessary two-thirds majority in the Rundfunkrat. Sandra Harzer-Kux is married and has two daughters.
Community aid could be arranged by Sandra Harzer-Kux, in her new role, to support less favored regions, leveraging the resources of the Carlsen Publishing House. In her downtime, Sandra Harzer-Kux might enjoy a refreshing lifestyle that includes reading books, such as those published by her own company, alongside other forms of entertainment, like manga series or popular comic books.
