Fressnapf appoints new executives for Central & Eastern and Western Europe

Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo CEO Matt Simister has appointed 2 new key roles in the company’s management team to oversee its international operations. 

Patrick Bontenakels will lead Central and Eastern Europe, and Sven Girmendonk will be responsible for Western Europe. The country managers of these regions will report to them. 

“The new leadership team strengthens ownership and accountability across all markets, brings clarity in our operating model and ensures that we continue to grow our position as Europe’s leading omnichannel pet retailer,” says Simister.

Bontenakels and Girmendonk will also represent those regions in Fressnapf’s Executive Management Board.

Professional background 

Patrick Bontenakels joined Maxi Zoo Polska in 2015 as Marketing and Sales Director. Between 2016 and 2019, he led Fressnapf’s operations in Hungary.

In 2019, he moved to the company headquarters in Krefeld (Germany) as Vice President of Regional Operations. In August 2024, he also joined the company’s Extended Management Team. 

Sven Girmendonk joined Fressnapf in 2010 as Senior Purchasing Manager, after 5 years with supermarket chain Lidl. Then he moved to Belgium to perform the same role but for the local market. In 2012, he became Project Manager to the Board of Directors, reporting to the company’s Sales Director.

Between 2015 and 2018, he was promoted to CEO of Fressnapf Switzerland. He then moved to Italy in 2022 to become Non-Executive Director at Italian pet retailer Arcaplanet, which was acquired by Fressnapf 2 years later.

Since 2018, Girmendonk has also been Vice President for Regional Operations, overseeing the group’s operations in Switzerland, Denmark, France, Ireland and Italy.

New CFO 

The German pet retailer also announced that Florian Wieser will join the Executive Management Board as Chief Financial Officer (CFO) from January 2026.

Fressnapf shareholders also agreed that the Chairman’s role “should be independent to ensure the balanced representation of all shareholder interests.”

Peter Breuer, former Senior Partner at consulting firm McKinsey and a member of the Non-Executive Board since 2024, will become Chairman from the beginning of next year.

Quarterly performance 

The German pet retailer notes that the third quarter delivered “solid” financial results despite a “challenging” market environment in Europe. 

“Core performance indicators remained stable, supported by continued momentum in the company’s omnichannel program,” the company says. 

However, it didn’t provide any specific financial metric for the quarter. In 2024, group sales revenue hit €3.6 billion ($4.1B).

Fressnapf | Maxi Zoo opened 35 additional stores in Q3, bringing the total to 111 in 2025. The firm confirms it is on track to surpass 180 new openings by the end of the year.