From airline boardrooms to telecoms and banking, Andreas Bierwirth brings a varied management background to Casinos Austria, where he will become Director General in March 2027.
Andreas Bierwirth is a German executive whose career spans aviation, telecommunications, banking and gambling.
Who is Andreas Bierwirth?
On 21 October 2026, he was appointed the next Director General of Casinos Austria and Chairman of the Executive Board of Österreichische Lotterien (Austrian Lotteries), effective 14 March 2027. He will succeed Erwin van Lambaart, who is not seeking renewal of his five-year contract.
Until then, Bierwirth remains Chief Transformation Officer and a board member of both companies, positions he has held since 1 October 2025.
Education and background
Born in Lünen, Germany, on 8 May 1971, Bierwirth trained as a banker at Deutsche Bank in Dortmund before studying business administration at the University of Münster. His studies covered finance and accounting, international management and marketing. He subsequently completed a doctorate focused on corporate brand management.
He also holds commercial pilot licences for aeroplanes and helicopters.
His later professional education included executive management training at London Business School and Stanford University.
Career journey
Bierwirth began his management career in 2002 at Germanwings, serving as Managing Director and Chief Commercial Officer. From 2006 to 2008, he was Lufthansa’s Vice President of Marketing. He then joined Austrian Airlines’ management board in 2008, holding commercial and interim finance responsibilities and serving as Co-CEO during part of his tenure, which ended in 2012.
In September 2012, he became CEO of T-Mobile Austria, later Magenta Telekom, remaining until September 2022. He subsequently took responsibility for retail banking alongside Erste Group CEO Willi Cernko. A return to aviation followed: he joined Avcon Jet as CEO and a shareholder in September 2023, stepping down from its board in November 2024.
Key achievements
At Austrian Airlines, his tenure encompassed the carrier’s privatisation and integration into the Lufthansa Group – experience highlighted by Casinos Austria when announcing his arrival.
His telecoms tenure included T-Mobile Austria’s acquisition of UPC Austria in 2018, a transaction valued at €1.9bn ($2.13bn), and the launch of the combined Magenta brand in May 2019. The combination broadened the business from mobile communications into an integrated provider of mobile, fixed broadband and television services.
In its announcement of his departure, Magenta credited Bierwirth with returning the company to growth following a period of declining revenues.
Board appointments
Bierwirth chairs DO & CO’s supervisory board and has served on Finnair’s board since 2025, where he sits on the audit and strategy committees.
His previous appointments include board roles at easyJet and Casinos Austria, giving him experience of the gambling group before he joined its executive management.
Leadership and strategy
At Casinos Austria, Bierwirth’s transformation remit covers the international casino business, the group’s digital development, and group-wide process and project management. These responsibilities place operational change and digitalisation at the centre of his current role.
When moving to Erste Group in 2022, he emphasised customer experience across digital, remote and branch channels, describing retail banking as an opportunity to apply the customer focus developed during his telecoms career.
His public discussions of leadership have addressed managing uncertainty, building effective senior teams and developing a diverse leadership pipeline. These themes featured in an April 2024 session at Vienna University of Economics and Business.
His appointment as Director General followed an international search. In explaining the selection, ÖBAG CEO Edith Hlawati emphasised his experience of helping established businesses adapt to competitive markets.
From March 2027, he and Martin Škopek will form a two-member executive board, reduced from the current three.
Why is Bierwirth's appointment significant now?
Bierwirth is taking over at one of the most important times in modern Austrian gaming history. Indeed, the country's online casino market is due to open up in 2027.
Bierwirth's predecessor, Van Lambaart, had previously spoken against the liberalisation of the market (and, speculatively, this may have been a factor in his departure as CEO).
Naturally, he took this stance because Casinos Austria owns a significant stake in ÖLG Holding, which operates Win2Day (the previous monopoly holder in Austria).
Bierwirth, therefore, will have to lead by example as Casinos Austria faces new competition in Austria's digital sector.
Fun Fact: Bierwirth’s aviation experience extends to the cockpit: when he stepped down from Avcon Jet’s board in November 2024, the company confirmed he would remain a captain on its Cessna Citation XLS