BERLIN, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Axel Springer CEO Mathias

Doepfner will sign a new five-year contract and remain chairman

of a new executive board following the German media empire's

deal with private equity firm KKR, he said in a message

to employees on Thursday.

"Not only do we want to make it (the executive board)

smaller, we want to organise it differently," he said after

announcing a deal that would see Axel Springer split into two

and hand the group's media assets to Doepfner and members of the

Springer family.

(Writing by Miranda Murray, Editing by Rachel More)