The two managing directors of ppi Media, Hauke Berndt and Manuel Scheyda have led a management buyout of the German newsmedia systems developer.

The deal supported by advisor and strategic investor Alexander Eck is effective from this Tuesday, and ends the ownership of the Eversfrank Group which acquired ppi from manroland in 2012.

The company has more than 100 employees at locations in Kiel, Hamburg and Chicago.

Dr Berndt says the buyout will enable ppi Media to focus its digital solutions on the challenges of the media industry: "We will invest even more specifically in products and markets that will strengthen and expand our position in the publishing industry in the long term," he says.

Berndt joined ppi Media in 2002, and headed the new customer sales from 2012. He joined the board four years later and has been responsible for customer projects, sales and business innovation since then. He led development of ppi's magazine production and corporate publishing software, establishing the company in these markets.

Manuel Scheyda, who joined ppi more than 20 years ago, says the decision to "take the helm" at ppi Media as an easy one. "We are optimally positioned in a media environment characterised by innovation and change," he says.

Scheyda started his career at p.ink software engineering, and established the support department at ppi and later became head of product and innovation. Since 2016, he has headed the business innovation division.

The two managing directors - who together hold most of the shares - are joined by strategic investor and IT entrepreneur Alexander Eck as a shareholder. He has been involved in various companies as a strategic partner, having sold his first company, CRM specialist eCONNEX to a subsidiary of Accenture in 2011.

"The team's high level of competence, the excellent customer base and the cultural change a MBO can bring about opens up excellent opportunities for the future," he says Eck.

Pictured: Hauke Berndt (left) and Manuel Scheyda