IAA MOBILITY Voices - Conference Special
Interview with Stephan Zoll (Signa Sports United)
Stephan Zoll is the Chief Executive Officer of Signa Sports United (SSU) and the Executive Director of the Board of Directors. He joined SSU in 2018. Stephan was the President Online at Sears Holdings, a multichannel retailer, from 2016 to 2017; he worked at eBay from 2007, a NASDAQ listed online marketplace, latterly as the Vice President and General Manager for Germany. Stephan started his career as a management consultant at Booz Allen & Hamilton and later at Oliver Wyman, which he left as a Partner in 2007. Stephan is a qualified lawyer. He has a law degree from Ludwig-Maximilian’s University in Munich, a PhD from the University of Augsburg, and completed the Executive Leadership course at Harvard Business School.
Stephan Zoll is the Chief Executive Officer of Signa Sports United (SSU) and the Executive Director of the Board of Directors. He joined SSU in 2018. Stephan was the President Online at Sears Holdings, a multichannel retailer, from 2016 to 2017; he worked at eBay from 2007, a NASDAQ listed online marketplace, latterly as the Vice President and General Manager for Germany. Stephan started his career as a management consultant at Booz Allen & Hamilton and later at Oliver Wyman, which he left as a Partner in 2007. Stephan is a qualified lawyer. He has a law degree from Ludwig-Maximilian’s University in Munich, a PhD from the University of Augsburg, and completed the Executive Leadership course at Harvard Business School.
What does "Experience Connected Mobility" mean to you?
To me connected mobility is about all types of mobility that weave together to make any journey, short or long, seamless and easy.
What do you hope to achieve at IAA MOBILITY 2023?
I will be at IAA Mobility to raise the profile and awareness of e-bikes and their impact on connected mobility. At Signa Sports United (SSU), we are interested in how retailers can help support the uptake of e-bikes. E-bikes is part of a global movement of people leaving their cars behind to use bikes for work and leisure. The 'new normal' of 2022 included much more cycling than 2019. Analysis of the first three months of 2022 showed an increase of 17% on weekdays and 37% on weekends, which is according to Fréquentation vélo du 1er semestre 2022: les chiffres clés! - Eco-Counter. In Germany, more than two million e-bikes were sold for the first time in 2021, according to the Zweirad-Industrie-Verband (ZIV).
Which essential topic of the future receives too little attention from the public?
There is too little discussion in the public about how the infrastructure needed for connected mobility has been left behind. What we need for connected mobility to work is more extensive (and safer) bike lanes, charging stations for e-bikes, and access to local bike shops that can offer quick repairs (such as fixing a bike tire).
In which area of mobility do you see the greatest potential and where do you see the greatest need to catch up?
For me the area of mobility with the greatest potential is e-bikes. Electric bikes and cargo bikes are expected to be key for the shift in mobility mix as people and companies get out of their 4x4s and vans and onto electric bikes and cargo bikes. Since the coronavirus pandemic began, cycling has been booming in the western world with sales of conventional and electric bicycles in Europe rising 7.5% to a record €19.7bn in 2022. This is according to the Confederation of the European Bicycle Industry.
IAA MOBILITY is the leading global mobility platform. It connects innovators from all spectrums of mobility. Whodo you want to network with in September and why?
I am interested in meeting partners that can help to sell and service e-bikes. I am also keen to meet infrastructure partners that are lobbying to increase bike lanes in key European cities. I am also looking to meet local government bodies in Stuttgart (where one of our main bike companies is based) and Berlin (which is the head office of SSU).
The world is fundamentally changing. Innovation and also the endeavors in the mobility sector are bigger thanever before. What is your vision of the world in 20 years?
I think looking ahead 20 years is too long a time period for our industry; to me, five years is a long time.
In five years, I can see a world where interconnected mobility means transportation that is focused on the individual. By that I mean that once I've left my home in the morning to get to the desired destination, each part of my journey has been thought about and is seemlessly interconnected, from the docking station I collect my e-bike from, to how I take my bike on the local train, to where I store my bike and how I recharge it.