DATAGROUP SE announced that Laura Schroder, Managing Director at KKR, has joined the company’s Supervisory Board with immediate effect. She succeeds Manfred Boschatzke, who stepped down from the Supervisory Board effective on 29 November 2025. This appointment follows KKR becoming a strategic partner of DATAGROUP in November 2025 through its investment alongside founder and Supervisory Board Chairman Max H.-H. Schaber, supporting the company’s growth and strengthening its position as a leading provider of secure and sovereign IT services.
The appointment matters because it deepens the strategic relationship between DATAGROUP and KKR, a leading global investment firm. As a strategic partner, KKR’s involvement through Schroder’s board position provides DATAGROUP with enhanced access to investment expertise and resources critical for executing its growth strategies. The company is known for its active participation in the consolidation process with its “buy and turn around” and “buy and build” strategy, growing both organically and through acquisitions noted for optimal integration. Schroder’s specific focus on the IT services sector during her tenure at KKR, where she has led numerous investments in Germany, aligns directly with DATAGROUP’s core business as a full-service provider supporting global IT workplaces for medium and large enterprises as well as public authorities through its CORBOX product.
The implication of this board change is a reinforcement of DATAGROUP’s financial and strategic backing during a period of industry consolidation. With approximately 3,700 employees, DATAGROUP designs, implements, and operates IT infrastructures and business applications. The integration of a KKR executive into its governance structure signals confidence from a major investor and potentially facilitates smoother access to capital for future acquisitions or expansion initiatives. This move strengthens DATAGROUP’s competitive positioning by linking its operational expertise in IT services with KKR’s investment acumen and network, which is important for navigating the competitive and evolving German IT market. Further information about the company is available at https://www.datagroup.de.
