Born in 1962 in Flensburg, Germany, Michael Kreft von Byern has a longstanding career in tourism, leisure, and entertainment management. After completing A-Levels in Flensburg, he served in the German Armed Forces, where he underwent military service and officer training as a signal communications officer in Munich. He later studied Tourism and Leisure Science in Fulda and Würzburg and was a Scientific Assistant at the Würzburg Institute for Tourism and Leisure Research.
Since 1988, he has held various leadership positions at Europa-Park in Rust. Starting as a Public Relations Officer, he progressed to roles including Director of Public Relations, Director of Marketing, Director of Operations, and Head of Mack Solutions and the Creative + Development Team. He currently serves as the Representative of the Board of Europa-Park.
In addition to his work at Europa-Park, Kreft von Byern has held prominent roles in industry organizations. From 2001 to 2018, he was a member and later Chairman of the Tourism Committee of the German Chamber of Commerce in Berlin. He is a member of the Supervisory Board of Black Forest Tourism and chairs the Economy Advisory Committee. Since 2010, he has been a member of the Research Advisory Committee of the German Institute for Tourism (DWIF) at the University of Munich. He served on the European Board of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) from 2010 to 2019, including as Chairman of its EMEA Government Relations Subcommittee in Brussels. In 2019, he became Vice President of the Board of the German Association of Leisure Parks (VDFU).
Since January 2019, Kreft von Byern has been the General Manager of Rulantica, Europa-Park’s water world, overseeing its development and operations.
