Today, Plaion announced that Phil Rogers will be taking over as CEO while the previous CEO and Co-Founder, Dr. Klemens Kundratitz, changes roles to spend more time with family.
Prior to this, Rogers held several positions within the Embracer Group, which Plaion is a subsidiary of. Particularly, he’s helped lead and create the “Middle-earth and Friends” unit in the company. Rogers will start his new position as Plaion CEO in April, which is also when Dr. Kundratitz will become a strategic advisor for Embracer.
Dr. Kundratitz helped found Plaion in 1994, back when the company was a software distributor in Germany, Austria, and the UK. Now, Plaion ventures in worldwide publishing and game distribution. It also has an international film and merchandising business, employing over 2000 people in 15 different countries.
Since Dr. Kundratitz time as CEO, Plaion expanded quite a bit, including when the company joined the Embracer Group in 2018. Now, he’s ready to step back and enjoy time with his family after 31 years of leadership at Plaion.
Dr. Kundratitz has high hopes for Rogers and is confident that he’ll succeed in the new position:
“I’m delighted to be handing over my CEO duties to Phil. I know he will do an outstanding job, as he has the perfect leadership and vision to build out Middle-earth & Friends, continuing Plaion’s excellent momentum. It has been an absolute pleasure to build this company, and I am honored and thankful to have worked with our fantastic teams worldwide. I could not have asked for a more exciting and rewarding role in the entertainment industry and I am proud of what we have achieved together.”
Likewise, Rogers had plenty of great things to say about Dr. Kundratitz:
“Klemens has dedicated so much of his life to PLAION and has built an incredible legacy, a cornerstone of the European entertainment industry. I am excited to begin working closely with Plaion’s leadership team as we create our new business unit Middle-earth & Friends.”
Phil Rogers has decades of experience as CEO of other companies. From 2009 to 2022, Rogers was CEO of the western side of Square Enix, and he became the CEO of Eidos in 2008.
For news on Embracer Group’s dealings, check out the CEO’s idea that PCs really are the future (at least for 2025) and the debts it sold Easybrain to pay off.