Merkur Service will enter 2026 under a new management structure, with Sören Pinke and Julian Fend appointed to form a dual leadership team effective from 1 January.
The appointments follow the departure of Joachim Mohrmann, who led the Merkur Group’s service division for more than two decades.
Under the new structure, Pinke will assume responsibility for operational management, while Fend will oversee commercial operations.
The change is positioned as a continuation of Merkur Service’s development following its formation three years ago through the merger of the service units of adp Merkur (B2B) and Merkur Casino (B2C).
Pinke brings more than 20 years of experience within the Merkur Group, having joined in 2004. He progressed through technical and managerial roles at Merkur Service, including department head and project manager, before being appointed Head of Central Customer Service in 2022.
He has been closely involved in several internal initiatives, notably the development and launch of the Merkur Helper service app, and worked alongside Mohrmann for many years as part of a planned succession process.
Fend, who takes on commercial responsibility, joined the group in 2019 after completing his studies in economics. He began his career as an advisor to the CFO for the EMEA region at adp Merkur, before becoming Head of Finance for Serbia and the Netherlands in 2022. In that role, he was responsible for commercial oversight of B2B operations in both markets and contributed to group-level projects, including recent acquisition activity.
Merkur Service currently employs around 360 people and operates as the Merkur Group’s central service provider. The company was established to streamline processes and realise operational synergies across B2B and B2C activities, with a stated focus on customer-centric service delivery.
The Merkur Group has described the new leadership pairing as well-positioned to build on this foundation and further develop the scale and efficiency of its service operations.
Commenting on the development, Dominik Raasch, Board Member of Merkur Games, stated: "With their professional expertise and extensive experience, Sören Pinke and Julian Fend are ideally prepared for their new management roles. Since both have the Merkur sun in their DNA, I am certain that they will lead Merkur Service with great success."
The leadership changes come during a period of expansion for the wider Merkur Group. In late 2025, the company acquired 11 arcades and over 100 hospitality machine sites in Spain, marking its first entry into the bar-based gaming segment.
The group also deepened its partnership with Slovenian ETG supplier Spintec through a stake acquisition, while securing content deals including a partnership with Yggdrasil to expand its MerkurXtip platform in Serbia.
Merkur Service was formed three years ago by merging the service companies of adp Merkur (B2B) and Merkur Casino (B2C)
