Ragnar Nilsson joined the Karstadt Group (100,000 employees, 1997 turnover = DEM 27 billion) in January 1993 ad Director of Information Technology. His department serves as the Group's computing center (organization flow manangement, process-oriented problems and projects). It also handles the IT requirements for companies within the group, Neckermann Versand AG (Mail Order), NUR TOURISTIC GmbH (Travel) and HERTIE Waren-und Kaufhaus GmbH (department stores).

Ragnar Nilsson is also personally responsible for Karstadt's electronic commerce activities, such as "my-world" (virtual shopping mall), customer terminals, Cyber@rs, and so on.

Since 1996 Ragnar Nilsson has been Chairman of the Electronic Commerce Committee of EuroCommerce, the Brussels-based Retail, Wholesale and International Trade Representation to the European Union. In this context, he has been asked to participate as consultant in research work organized by the European authorities.