Merkur strengthens gaming division with two executive appointments

Merkur Group linked new leadership appointments in its gaming division to plans for faster international expansion and product development, with both changes taking effect on April 1.

Under the new structure, Benjamin Stegemann has taken responsibility for the newly established Future Game Innovation Lab within the Merkur Games division, while Dubravka Burda now leads the company’s global Game Design and development studios.

Dominik Raasch, Management Board Member at Merkur Games, said the company made the leadership and structural adjustments to support its long-term growth plans in international markets.

“With these leadership and structural adjustments, we are reinforcing our ambition to elevate the Merkur gaming experience worldwide and to further accelerate our international growth. I am confident that, in their respective roles, Benjamin Stegemann and Dubravka Burda will make a decisive contribution to achieving this goal in the long term,” Raasch said.

Innovation unit targets product pipeline

Merkur said the Future Game Innovation Lab was created to identify player preferences at an earlier stage and develop game concepts, along with hardware and software products, beyond current market standards.

“Our ambition is to increasingly set our own game trends. The Future Game Innovation Lab provides the ideal platform to focus on exactly that,” Stegemann said.

In addition to leading the new unit, Stegemann will continue supporting Merkur’s product organization through his game design experience. He will also work on improving the graphical and audiovisual quality of its product portfolio.

“Benjamin Stegemann’s exceptional passion for games has injected fresh momentum into our development efforts, while also making a significant contribution to increasing transparency, optimising processes, and fostering closer collaboration across our global Game Design teams,” Raasch said.

Burda assumes global studio role

Burda assumed the role of Senior Vice President of Global Studios on April 1 and now oversees all domestic and international game studios across Merkur Group.

She began her gaming career in 1997 with Atronic and later held senior leadership roles at GTech and International Game Technology.

“Dubravka Burda is widely recognised as a proven expert in the gaming industry. Thanks to her many years of experience in successfully managing international Game Design and development studios, she is exceptionally well prepared for her new role at Merkur Games. I very much look forward to her contributions and to working together,” Raasch said.

Burda said she had closely followed Merkur’s transformation before joining the company.

“I have followed the Merkur Group’s transformation with great interest and close attention. Being able to experience and actively shape this transformation first-hand represents an outstanding opportunity for me – both professionally and personally,” Burda said.

In her new role, Burda is responsible for developing studio structures, processes, and capabilities, improving the speed and quality of game development, and coordinating work between game design teams, core development, and the product organization.