Wasserman expands into Germany, hires Kai Burkhard and Sebastian Birwe as Senior Vice Presidents, DACH

US-based sports, music and marketing agency Wasserman has expanded into Germany with the opening of an office in Düsseldorf.

In April 2021, Wasserman launched North American music agency Wasserman Music, representing artists such as Coldplay, Billie Eilish, Imagine Dragons, The Lumineers, Dave Matthews Band, Janelle Monáe, Kacey Musgraves, Old Dominion, Phish, Ed Sheeran, Lorde and others.

The new office will be led by marketing executives Kai Burkhard and Sebastian Birwe, who join Wasserman as Senior Vice Presidents, DACH.

The Düsseldorf office joins Wasserman’s existing European network of partners and offices across the UK, Netherlands, France, Belgium, Spain, Germany, Finland, Switzerland, Italy and Eastern Europe.

Wasserman’s recent European growth has been through organic growth and major acquisitions, says the company.

Most recently, it acquired the UK football agency Key Sports Management, global hockey agency ACME World Sports and Spanish football agency Top Value.

The company also hired Patrick Williams and Wolfgang Gesell to head up the German football division.

In March 2021, Wasserman acquired German boxing promoter Team Sauerland and launched Wasserman Boxing, led by Kalle and Nisse Sauerland.

Burkhard and Birwe previously co-founded the full-service creative agency Markenloft, which focused on in-market activation of sports, entertainment and lifestyle-focused partnerships, including strategic consulting for brands across the DACH market in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

“Having a robust presence in Germany is another milestone in our strategic plan.”

Casey Wasserman

Casey Wasserman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said: “Having a robust presence in Germany is another milestone in our strategic plan.

“Today’s announcement is the result of over 15 years of investment in Europe, and is part of our ongoing mission as an agency to provide unparalleled resources and expertise to our clients worldwide.”

“Germany is a key addition to our purpose-built Pan European network.”

Lenah Ueltzen-Gabell, EMEA

Lenah Ueltzen-Gabell, Wasserman Managing Director, EMEA, added: “Germany is a key addition to our purpose-built Pan European network.

“The hands-on knowledge of the German market and DACH region that Kai and Sebastian bring, combined with our existing expertise across Europe, will further enhance our ability to provide high-touch service to both our global and regional clients.”

“We are thrilled to be joining the Wasserman family.”

Kai Burkhard and Sebastian Birwe

Kai Burkhard and Sebastian Birwe, said: “We are thrilled to be joining the Wasserman family and officially launching the Wasserman Düsseldorf office.

“We are directly aligned with Wasserman in our principles of putting people and clients first, and we are excited about the value we can mutually bring to each other.

“Wasserman’s unique combination of encompassing both an unparalleled network of global connections and personalized expertise in specific markets make it a truly full-service agency, and we are looking forward to expanding on our collective work in the DACH market and beyond.”Music Business Worldwide