He began his professional career as a research assistant at the Swiss Institute of Banking and Finance in St. Gallen (Switzerland). In 1992, Stephan Leithner joined the management consulting firm McKinsey & Company and worked in Frankfurt (Germany), New York (USA) and Munich (Germany), becoming a partner in 1997.[3] From 2000 to 2015, he worked for Deutsche Bank AG. In addition to management positions in Global Banking, he was Global Head Corporate Finance from 2010 to 2012 and was appointed to the Management Board of Deutsche Bank AG in 2012.[4] In 2016, he moved to Munich (Germany) to join the Swedish financial investor EQT Partners GmbH as a Partner (Private Equity).[5]
Since 2018, Leithner has been a member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Börse AG, where he was responsible for Pre- and Post-Trading until June 2024. In March 2024, he was appointed Deputy CEO. From June until the end of 2024, he headed the Investment Management Solutions segment. In October 2024, Stephan Leithner was appointed Co-CEO of Deutsche Börse AG and, together with his predecessor Theodor Weimer, led the company in this position until the end of 2024.[6] Since 1 January 2025, Stephan Leithner is the CEO of Deutsche Börse AG.[7]
Leithner is a member of the board of the Baden-Badener Unternehmer Gespräche e.V., where he also serves as treasurer.[8] He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt.[9]
