a&o Hostels, Europe's largest and fastest growing hostel chain, has appointed Markus Harder as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective immediately. Harder will spearhead the company's digitalisation strategy, leveraging his extensive experience in scaling technology and AI-led companies across Europe.

Based in Berlin, Harder will collaborate closely with CEO Oliver Winter and shareholders to drive a&o Hostels' growth strategy. His responsibilities will include overseeing finance, legal, organisational, business systems, risk management, and procurement functions. Harder aims to integrate cloud computing, AI, and mobile solutions to streamline operations and enhance the guest experience.

Harder's previous roles include CFO at DeepL, where he achieved a tenfold growth and led two unicorn funding rounds. He also served as CFO of Contentful and Finance Director at SoundCloud. His career began in real estate investment banking with Morgan Stanley.

Earlier this year, a&o Hostels completed an $874 million (€874 million) refinancing with Apollo, supported by equity commitments from Proprium Capital Partners and StepStone Group. This financial backing aims to double the size of a&o's portfolio and expand its presence across Europe. In 2025, the company welcomed a record 2.8 million guests and achieved 6.6 million overnight stays.

CEO Oliver Winter stated, "Markus’s depth of experience in strategic and financial planning will be invaluable as we continue scaling and optimising the platform." Harder expressed enthusiasm for joining a&o, highlighting the opportunity to innovate within the European budget hospitality sector

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