01/15/2026
CELLS restructures Executive Management
• Focus on the development of future‑proof working environments and the refurbishment of obsolete office properties • Jan Trenn (CEO) and Norman Schaaf (CDO) form a dual leadership structure within the newly organised Executive Management Board • Dirk Ruppert (formerly CIO) support CELLS’ projects externally in an asset management role • Jürgen Wodianka (formerly CTO) leave the company in mid-2026
Going forward, the Executive Management Board will consist of Jan Trenn (CEO) and Norman Schaaf (CDO), both of whom have already been serving as Managing Directors at CELLS.
Dirk Ruppert, who has been CIO at CELLS for many years, will continue to support the company in his new role as a founding partner of an external investment manager. In this capacity, he will be responsible for asset management of existing projects and will support the acquisition of new development opportunities.
Jürgen Wodianka, formerly CTO of CELLS, has decided to pursue a new professional challenge and will leave the company in mid‑2026.
Dr Christian Elleke, Chairman of the Advisory Board and founder of CELLS, thanked the two departing executives for their significant contributions to the development of the company: “I have shared more than half of my professional life with both of them, marked by many joint successes and numerous challenges we have overcome together. I would like to thank Dirk Ruppert and Jürgen Wodianka, wish them every success in their future endeavours, and am pleased that we will remain personally connected – and in Dirk’s case, also professionally.”
Jan Trenn, CEO of CELLS, added: “CELLS will focus even more consistently on its core strengths as a creative and execution‑driven project developer and problem solver, with a clear emphasis on attractive, future‑oriented working environments in prime inner‑city locations, as well as the transformation of obsolete office space into alternative uses such as education, healthcare and all forms of residential living. To achieve this, we will pursue new financing structures and establish new client relationships.”
Commenting on the continued collaboration with Dirk Ruppert, the CEO Jan Trenn said: “Our future partnership with our former CIO Dirk Ruppert provides us, alongside our own acquisition team, with additional access to new investors and development opportunities, while at the same time ensuring the continued reliable management of long‑standing CELLS investment partners. We are very much looking forward to working with Dirk in his new role and wish him every success. I would also like to thank Jürgen Wodianka for his work to date and wish him all the best and continued success in his future professional career.”
