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Bodo Kipper: From Amazon to OTTO (in 12 years)
Culture

Bodo Kipper: From Amazon to OTTO (in 12 years)

About Bodo Kipper, OTTO's Divisional Board Member for Retail and Marketplace

Editor Michelle Walther Reading time: 3 Minutes
Open, transparent, authentic - this is how Bodo Kipper, who has been Divisional Director "Retail and Marketplace" at OTTO since January 2020, describes his own management style. The Munich native previously worked for Amazon for several years. But what attracted Bodo to switch to OTTO? And what vision does he have for the marketplace? We asked him

Horseback riding, jogging and skiing - in his free time, Bodo enjoys sports. He has also developed a passion for architecture, which, as he says himself, makes him a big fan of the Elbe Philharmonic Hall in Hamburg.
By the way, Bodo Kipper comes in a double pack: He grew up with his twin brother in Regensburg. Today he lives in two German cities at once: In Hamburg, he pursues his work as a divisional board member at OTTO, and in Munich he lives with his wife and two daughters.

Bodo lives his life according to the motto: "Life is about the people you meet and the things you create with them". For him, this means being open to new people in life, approaching them and exploring new paths together with them.

No longer a corporation ... or maybe it is?

He who says A, must also say B... or in Bodo's case O.
Bodo's professional career has been shaped, among other things, by his many years of work at Amazon: From 2008 to 2015, he was responsible for the entire marketplace business in Germany as Head of Merchant Services. At that time, he was particularly impressed by Amazon's stringent focus on a clear vision. Next stop: the Swiss company Ricardo, where Bodo drove the marketplace with new impulses. After some time, he decided to take a new path: he went into business consulting on his own and that's where he first came into contact with OTTO. It was clear to him at the time: work in a corporation - guaranteed no more. But he revised his original attitude after he learned more and more about the exciting work of the teams in various meetings with OTTO colleagues and felt the desire to work even more intensively. The rest is history: Since January 2020, Bodo has been the Divisional Director for the Retail and Marketplace division. Above all, it was the open corporate culture that convinced the now 56-year-old and encouraged him in his move to OTTO. Bodo also finds a clear answer to the question of what OTTO represents to him: "With Otto, I associate the concept of humanity and a strong sense of togetherness".

Guaranteed to be a marketplace with a unique selling proposition

Bodo has a clear vision for OTTO's marketplace: He wants to make the uniqueness of Otto with its history, its clear values and its courageous further development tangible for all customers. Bodo's wish is to continuously grow the Otto platform with enthusiastic and courageous colleagues through the interaction of retailers and marketplace, but also services. Thanks to his many years of experience, the divisional board member brings with him new methods, tools and knowledge that will further advance OTTO's future direction.

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