Copyright thediplomat
NEPI Rockcastle has decided to appoint Marek Noetzel as its designated CEO, effective 1 April 2026. Noetzel was confirmed as the company’s permanent COO in June 2022 and is responsible for its operations across 60 properties in eight countries in Central and Eastern Europe, where NEPI Rockcastle is also the largest owner, operator and developer of shopping centres in the region. He will succeed NEPI Rockcastle’s current CEO, Rüdiger Dany. Marek Noetzel joined Rockcastle Global Real Estate in 2016, establishing the company’s offices in Poland and expanding its activities abroad. In 2017, Rockcastle’s portfolio in Poland and Czechia merged with NEPI, which had assets in Romania, Slovakia, Serbia and Czechia. At NEPI Rockcastle, Noetzel held positions as a Board Member and Director of Retail in Poland before becoming COO in 2022. Prior to this, he was Polish Head of Retail at Cushman and Wakefield. Under his mandate, NEPI Rockcastle has implemented a programme of over €1 billion in acquisitions, strategic developments and active asset management, which has supported strong net operating income growth and distributable earnings for investors, leading to record financial results in 2024. George Aase, NEPI Rockcastle Chairman, said: “We are delighted that after a rigorous and transparent international search and assessment process among a very strong field of candidates, the NEPI Rockcastle Board has decided Marek is the best qualified to lead the company in the next stage of its growth story. He demonstrated to the Nomination Committee that he possesses the exceptional attributes we need in a CEO to maintain continuity of strong and innovative leadership for the business. Marek brings unrivalled knowledge of the company’s operations and has been instrumental in its growth through portfolio optimisation, new acquisitions and developments. The Board would also like to thank Rüdiger for his outstanding tenure as CEO, which has seen the company go from strength to strength.” Rüdiger Dany, NEPI Rockcastle CEO, said: “I’m very proud that NEPI Rockcastle’s Board has selected an internal candidate, Marek Noetzel, as new CEO. Marek has played a pivotal role within the outstanding senior management team that has delivered the company’s industry-leading performance in the past four years. This appointment is a recognition of NEPI Rockcastle’s culture of developing leadership talent across all our operations and rewarding the best people for innovation and entrepreneurship.”
