After 20 years guiding Frankfurter Buchmesse through significant industry challenges, CEO and President Juergen Boos will retire after October’s fair.

By Erin L. Cox, Publisher | @erinlcox

Today, Frankfurter Buchmesse announced that international publishing executive and current CEO of Carlsen Verlag Joachim Kaufmann will succeed Juergen Boos as President and CEO. Kaufmann will join the company at the start of September and Boos will continue to hold full responsibility for Frankfurter Buchmesse 2026 until his departure just after the book fair.

“I am very pleased that Joachim Kaufmann has been chosen as my successor. I have known and valued Joachim for many years of working together for the international book industry and for freedom of expression,” said Boos.

“Few leaders in our world of books are as capable as he is of inspiring people with his ideas and convictions. He and the strong culture of collaboration within the Frankfurter Buchmesse team are an ideal match.”

Kaufmann’s career began in sales and marketing at Herder, Christophorus, Bertelsmann, and Ravensburger, until taking the role at Carlsen Verlag, a subsidiary of the Swedish Bonnier Group, in 2006.

In addition to his work, Kaufmann held various positions within the international Bonnier Group and served on several boards, most recently at Bonnier Books UK. Kaufmann has also been a member of the Publishers’ Committee at the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels since 2012 and has represented German publishers with the International Publishers Association and the Federation of European Publishers.

“I can hardly wait to work with a great team to further develop the world’s most important book fair. In its role as the leading international event for the global book industry, it must remain the central venue for both rights trading and personal exchanges for the entire book world, and constantly adapt to the needs of its customers,” said Kaufmann.

Last week in New York City, Juergen Boos joined me on stage at the Society of Illustrators to discuss how the book fair (and the book market) began and where it is going. In the 15th century, Boos noted that the market for books “followed the money,” beginning in big financial centers.

For the future, the book fair and the larger industry also needs to “follow the money” by continuing to develop pathways to this new generation of readers while also continuing the essential B2B business. That idea is at the heart of the FBM Next program, which we spoke to Christian Ebert, Frankfurter Buchmesse’s VP of Marketing and Sales about last fall.

Kaufmann seems primed to continue this mission, “I also see excellent opportunities to develop [Frankfurter Buchmesse] into the largest festival for booklovers and reading far beyond Frankfurt and to draw the public’s attention to the wonderful world of books and stories during the fair week.”