After completing his doctorate in nuclear physics at the University of Göttingen, Markus Schäfer began his professional career in 1997 as a consultant at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants in Munich before joining TV-Loonland AG in 2000 as its COO and later Head of the Business Unit Home Entertainment. In 2004, he moved to All3Media Deutschland GmbH in Munich. There he held various management positions, including that of CFO from 2010 until his appointment as CEO in 2014. From 2018 to 2022, Schäfer was also Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of Allianz Deutscher Produzenten - Film & Fernsehen e. V.
Since July 2022, the proven expert in corporate development, portfolio management and strategic growth has been the President and CEO and spokesman of the Executive Board of ZDF Studios GmbH.