Kingfisher has named Sebastian Gundel, the former chief executive of German home-improvement retailer OBI, as its next CEO. His appointment is due to take effect on 1 February 2027; until then, he is CEO-designate, not Kingfisher’s serving chief executive. The move follows Thierry Garnier’s resignation, announced in May 2026.
Who is Sebastian Gundel?
Gundel is a home-improvement retail executive with more than two decades of leadership experience, according to Kingfisher’s October 2026 CEO-designate biography. Before the Kingfisher appointment, he led OBI, a retailer that Kingfisher describes as operating more than 660 stores and employing 40,000 colleagues across ten countries. Those are figures published by Kingfisher in its biography, rather than independently verified measurements in the sources cited here. Kingfisher’s CEO-designate biography
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What did he do at OBI?
Gundel joined OBI in 2012 as Head of Corporate Development. Kingfisher’s biography traces his subsequent career through marketing and customer leadership, Country Manager for Austria from 2017, and Chief Customer & Digital Officer from 2020. Kingfisher credits him with leading OBI’s digital growth strategy and launching heyOBI, an ecosystem the company said had more than 10 million registered users in October 2026. That user count is Kingfisher’s published figure.
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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallOBI announced Gundel’s appointment as CEO on 30 September 2022, effective 23 September that year. He succeeded Sergio Giroldi, who retired after nearly 20 years leading the company. OBI’s announcement described Gundel’s previous responsibilities as Chief Customer and Digital Officer and Country Manager for Austria, and credited him with responsibility for the heyOBI platform and OBI Next transformation unit. It also said that during four years in Austria he grew market share and operating profit; OBI did not provide underlying figures in that announcement. OBI’s 2022 CEO appointment announcement
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The scale figures in the two companies’ statements should be kept distinct: OBI cited 670 stores across Europe in its 2022 announcement, while Kingfisher’s October 2026 biography describes OBI as having more than 660 stores across ten countries. They refer to different statements and dates, not a single reconciled count.
Why is he taking over at Kingfisher?
Kingfisher said on 6 May 2026 that Thierry Garnier had resigned after nearly seven years as CEO to take a senior leadership role outside Kingfisher’s markets. The company said its Nomination Committee would lead a search reviewing internal and external candidates. Garnier had a 12-month notice period and was to remain in the role to support an orderly transition. Kingfisher said his exact departure date would be announced later. Kingfisher’s 6 May 2026 directorate announcement
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Gundel’s stated start date is 1 February 2027. The reviewed announcements do not establish Garnier’s final day or provide a detailed handover timetable, so the incoming CEO’s start date should not be treated as confirmation of when Garnier leaves.
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The appointment puts an executive with experience in home-improvement operations, customer leadership and digital initiatives at the top of Kingfisher. The official material establishes the succession and Gundel’s career history, but does not offer a detailed account of his plans for Kingfisher or an independent assessment of his performance at OBI. Kingfisher’s claims about OBI’s scale and heyOBI’s user base should therefore be read as company-published context, not independent findings.
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The word “raids” suggests more than the evidence supports. Kingfisher has announced a CEO appointment; the available company statements describe no acquisition, takeover or hostile action involving OBI.
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