Kathleen Krüger appointed Hamburg sporting director
Bayern Munich executive Kathleen Krüger has been appointed as Hamburg’s new sporting director, the club have confirmed.
Krüger replaces Stefan Kuntz, who held the role for a little over 18 months before leaving Hamburg in January.
“I’m really pleased with the trust that has been placed in me,” said the 40-year-old. “It’s a real privilege to be able to play a decisive role in shaping the future of Hamburg, one of the biggest names in German football. I’ve followed the club’s development with great interest over recent years, and am deeply impressed by their recent achievements.”
“In Kathleen Krüger, Hamburg have acquired a high-profile figure who has worked at the very highest level internationally at Bayern Munich for many years,” said Michael Papenfuß, chairman of HSV’s supervisory board. “Together with board member Eric Huwer, she is set to play a decisive role in shaping the club’s strategic development.”
Krüger joins from Bayern after spending 17 years as part of the Bundesliga champions’ hierarchy. She initially joined as former sporting director Christian Nerlinger’s assistant in 2009 before becoming general manager three years later.
Once described as the Bundesliga’s “most powerful woman”, she was promoted to the role of senior leading expert in sport strategy and development in 2024, a position she held until her move to the Volksparkstadion.
Krüger becomes the second woman to hold a position on the HSV board after Katja Kraus, who was the club’s marketing director between 2003 and 2011. Kraus also enjoyed a brief spell as Hamburg sporting director on an interim basis.
