Change up top for FREE NOW as Zimmermann announced as new CEO

Image credit: FREE NOW

Thomas Zimmermann will become the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of mobility app FREE NOW as of 1 April 2022 it has been announced.

The previous CEO Marc Berg is leaving the company after four years due to personal reasons. Berg has contributed significantly to the development of FREE NOW from a German taxi app to the leading Mobility-as-a-Service platform in Europe.

Today, numerous mobility brands and their vehicles can be booked across Europe via the FREE NOW app. Thus, the app offers a complete mobility ecosystem of eScooters, eBikes, eMopeds and car sharing with ride-hailing as the core business.

Currently, about 54 million users use FREE NOW's services and can choose from different types of vehicles: from eScooters, eMopeds, eBikes, taxis, PHV to car sharing cars. This year, FREE NOW plans to integrate more than ten new mobility partners and their vehicles on the platform to further expand its offering with the largest range of mobility options in one app, making sustainable, urban mobility options accessible to even more people.

Thomas Zimmermann, the new CEO of FREE NOW, has been responsible for FREE NOW's communication and marketing activities, marketplace performance as well as the data and growth teams as Chief Marketing Officer since 2018. In his role, he initiated comprehensive measures to improve efficiency across the company, in addition to the strategic repositioning of the brand. Before joining FREE NOW, Zimmermann held various management positions at company builder and investor IONIQ Group and Goodgame Studios, a leading developer of online and mobile games, among others.

Zimmermann said: "FREE NOW is a European success story and one of the few tech start-ups that have developed into a relevant player in Europe. Marc Berg has led this evolution over the past few years in a decisive way. My goal is that we continue this positive development and further establish us as the leading Mobility-as-a-Service platform in Europe. With our app, we clearly want to position ourselves as a provider of sustainable, efficient mobility in European cities. With further new, strong partners and additional mobility options, we will make our offer even more attractive."

Gero Götzenberger, Director Strategy and Investments at Mercedes-Benz Mobility, said: "We would like to thank Marc Berg very much for his extremely valuable and committed leadership at FREE NOW and the successes achieved. He has played a key role in shaping and driving forward the development of the mobility joint ventures of Mercedes-Benz Mobility and BMW Group. We wish him all the best for his future plans. At the same time, we look forward to working with Thomas Zimmermann, who has accompanied and shaped the growth of FREE NOW."

Rainer Feurer, Head of Corporate Investments at the BMW Group, said: "With vision and strategic intuition, Marc Berg has set the company up for growth and prepared the business model for the future. FREE NOW benefits today from a clear positioning and its leadership role in Europe. We would like to express our thanks to Marc Berg and wish Thomas Zimmermann all the best and much success in his new role.”