Merkur announces leadership changes in generational reshuffle at the top of the group

Merkur has announced a series of leadership changes, as part of a generational reshuffle at the top of the group. Three key appointments to the company's Management Board come as long-serving members transition to new roles or retire from the group.

Dominik Raasch, Head of Sales and Management Spokesman, adp Merkur; Meik Sellenriek, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) and Management Spokesman for the arcade segment (Merkur Casino); and David Schnabel, Managing Director of Merkur Spielbanken, have been appointed to the Management Board.

Their appointments become effective from 1 January, in a move that reassigns responsibilities for the major business segments Sales and Gaming Operations. Dominik Raasch becomes the new Management Board member with responsibility for Merkur Sales, with Meik Sellenriek assuming responsibility for the group’s national and international arcade business. Meanwhile, David Schnabel will head up the newly created Casinos Management Board division. 

“I am delighted that Dominik Raasch, Meik Sellenriek and David Schnabel will bear greater responsibility in the future,” said Michael Gauselmann, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Merkur.com AG. “They all have the Merkur gene and have proven in the past that they are ready to take the lead in driving forward the strategic development in their respective divisions.”

Dominik Raasch succeeds Jürgen Stühmeyer at adp Merkur

For his part, Jürgen Stühmeyer, Management Board member, Merkur Sales and Management Board Vice-Chair, is moving to the Supervisory Board of Merkur.com AG and to the Board of Directors of the Gauselmann Family Foundation. Stühmeyer has worked for more than 37 years with the company.

“Together with my father, Jürgen Stühmeyer has made a significant contribution to developing the Merkur Group into a successful international company. adp’s success bears his signature. With his move to the Supervisory Board, we will make even greater use of this potential in the future to secure the long-term growth of the Group,” says Michael Gauselmann.

He will be succeeded on the Management Board by Dominik Raasch, a 40-year-old business administration graduate who started his career with the Merkur Group in 2004 and has since held positions as Head of Market Research, Head of Brand Management, Consultant to the Management Board and Director of Global Product Management.

Three years ago, he assumed responsibility for Sales and also became Management Spokesman. In this function, he already has operational responsibility for the Merkur business segment.

Gaming Operations to be represented by two Board members

Responsibility for Gaming Operations, to date represented on the Management Board by Dieter Kuhlmann, will be in the hands of Meik Sellenriek and David Schnabel.

Meik Sellenriek (56), who has been with the Merkur Group for 27 years, was appointed Managing Director and CFO in the arcade segment (Merkur Casino) in 2012, and since 2021 has also been Management Spokesman with responsibility for national and international activities in the arcade and gastronomy segments.

For his part, David Schnabel (51), has served as Managing Director of Merkur Spielbanken, playing a crucial role in overseeing the emergence of casinos as a mainstay of the company’s operations in recent years. David Schnabel has been with the Eastern-Westphalian company for ten years and, in addition to his management role at Merkur Spielbanken, has also been responsible for player protection.

To reflect their growing importance, casinos will for the first time be represented by a separate Management Board division. As part of the realignment, Dieter Kuhlmann, who until now has had overall responsibility for the Gaming Operations segment, will retire. Kuhlmann joined the company in December 2000 and was appointed to the Management Board in 2011, and since then has been responsible for the Gaming Operations business segment.

“Not only has Mr Kuhlmann been exceptionally successful, he has also set benchmarks in terms of personnel management and recognition of the work of employees in the branches. We extend our heartfelt gratitude for his personal commitment and outstanding contribution over the years,” says Michael Gauselmann.

“It is a great pleasure for me that we have successfully completed the rejuvenation of the Group's Management Board with these personnel changes. We are looking forward to the challenges of the future and are in the best possible position to meet them.”