The Deutscher Eishockey-Bund (DEB) is restructuring its operational management. The Supervisory Board thus implements the clear vote of the Extraordinary General Meeting of 31 May 2025 and appoints Frank H. Lutz and Christian Kunast two full-time board members who will shape the association’s new management structure in the future.
Frank H. Lutz becomes Chairman of the Board of the Deutscher Eishockey-Bund eV The 56-year-old was able to prevail in the application process from a large number of qualified candidates and convinced the Supervisory Board with his experience and profile. Christian Kunast, has held various responsible positions in the association since 2015 and has so far DEB-Sports Director, will be the Sports Director of the DEB e.V. and in particular to further promote the sporting development of the national teams but also the areas of young talent and coach training.
The Appointment of the new management team was one of the first official acts of the Supervisory Board of the DEB, who was elected following the adoption of new statutes at the general meeting on May 31, 2025. The appointment of the board members will take effect upon registration in the association register. This process has already been initiated and will be completed as soon as possible.
DEB-Chairman of the Supervisory Board Dr. Peter Merten on the appointment of the Management Board members: “We are pleased that with the appointment of the Board of Directors we have taken another decisive step in the reorientation of the DEB to implement. With Frank H. Lutz, the Supervisory Board has appointed a proven, experienced business leader who ideally fits the requirements profile of a future-oriented and sustainable association leadership. With his expertise in strategy and organizational development, as well as in finance, gained in small and large companies, Frank H. Lutz will be able to provide important impetus for the successful further development of our association. Christian Künast has already made a significant contribution to the work in the field of sports in his role as Sports Director through consistent professionalization. Therefore, it was a natural decision for us to appoint him as our new Sports Director and to empower him with extensive decision-making authority."
Frank H. Lutz to his task at DEB: “I would like to thank the Supervisory Board for the trust they have placed in me and I look forward to taking on responsibility at DEB As a long-time observer and supporter of ice hockey – both professionally and privately – I look forward to working with Christian Künast and the entire team in Munich with great motivation and anticipation. Our goal is to further strengthen the structures of German ice hockey and shape them for the future, together with all those involved from leagues, state associations, and partner organizations, in the spirit of sporting success."
Christian Kunast comments on his new role at DEB as follows: "I would like to thank the Supervisory Board for the great trust they have placed in me by appointing me as Sports Director. The new leadership structure will enable us to implement decisions even more effectively and dynamically, which will further advance our ice hockey sport with the next necessary development steps. I look forward to working together on the Executive Board with Frank H. Lutz, who will enrich us with his business expertise and further optimize our internal organizational processes."
Motivation and competence combined: The two DEB-Board members in portrait
Frank H. Lutz brings many years of international management experience as the new CEO of DEB His career began in 1995 at Goldman Sachs, with positions in London, Frankfurt, and New York. This was followed by positions at Deutsche Bank and at the commercial vehicle manufacturer MAN, where he served as CFO (Chief Financial Officer) from 2009. Further positions as CFO took him to Aldi Süd and later to Bayer MaterialScience, where he joined the Board of Management in 2014 and was shortly thereafter appointed CFO and Labor Director. In this role, he played a key role in the successful spin-off of Bayer AG's plastics division, which culminated in the founding and IPO of Covestro AG. Covestro AG was the main sponsor of the DEL from 2016 to 2020. After leaving Covestro in 2017, Lutz moved into the start-up world: Since 2018, he has been CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of the fintech CRX Markets. With his broad expertise in corporate management, financial strategy and transformation processes, he will strengthen the full-time management of the DEB.
Christian Künast has been with DEB in a responsible position and will assume the role of the Sports Director in the future. As a goalkeeper, he played over 250 DEL games and celebrated two German championship titles with his teams (1997 and 2000). At the international level, the Landshut native participated in two World Championships (1996, 2001) and the 2002 Olympic Games. After his playing career, Künast initially worked for four years as an assistant coach with the Hannover Scorpions under Hans Zach (DEL champions in 2010), then as head coach with the Hannover Indians and later in the Young Talents department of EHC Straubing. From 2015, he held several positions at DEB, including as U20 national coach and head coach of the women's national team. A milestone was his role in the coaching team of the men's national team, which won the silver medal at the 2018 Olympic Games in Pyeongchang. Since 2020, Künast has been the sports director of DEB active – initially on an interim basis, then permanently from 2021, and in this capacity achieved the second silver medal at the 2023 Men's World Championship in Tampere and Riga. With his many years of ice hockey experience, he will continue to make significant contributions to the successful sporting development of the DEB Afford.