Hans-Joachim "Aki" Watzke (born 21 June 1959, Marsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia) is a German businessman and football official. He was the CEO of Borussia Dortmund.
Hans-Joachim "Aki" Watzke (born 21 June 1959, Marsberg, North Rhine-Westphalia) is a German businessman and football official. He was the CEO of Borussia Dortmund.
Watzke watched his first games at the Rote Erde as a child, [1] and has been a club member of Borussia Dortmund since 1996.
He earned a Master of Business Administration from the Paderborn University.
He founded and grew Watex, a company making safety clothing, with sales of EU15-20m and 45 employees. [2] [3]
He became treasurer of Borussia Dortmund in 2001.
In 2005, at the climax of the club's financial crisis, he was appointed chief executive officer. Alongside chairman Reinhard Rauball and CFO Thomas Treß, Watzke is credited with having saved the club from bankruptcy. He restructured and streamlined the club, made rigid cost cuts, and operated a clear financial plan. [4] A 20% pay cut was made for all players. [5] In 2006, in order to reduce debt, the Westfalenstadion was renamed "Signal Iduna Park" after a local insurance company (the naming rights agreement runs until 2031).
On 14 December 2021, Watzke was elected as first vice-president of the German Football Association (DFB). [6] In February 2022, he was appointed as the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Die Liga – Fußballverband. [7] On 5 April 2023, he became a UEFA Executive Committee member. [8]
Watzke is a member of the Christian Democratic Union. [9]
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