ZEAL Network, an international group of lottery companies, will be parting ways with its chief commercial officer. The outgoing CCO will remain with the company for a while to ensure a seamless transition of responsibilities.
As announced, CCO Sönke Martens is set to depart from his position at the end of February 2024. However, he has also opted to vacate his position on the executive board and will exit the board with immediate effect from November 30.
As a result, the board will continue with only three members, which include CEO Helmut Becker, CFO Sebastian Bielski and CTO Paul Dingwitz.
While Martens will remain with the group to ensure a seamless transition of responsibilities, he is now set to end his long tenure as a ZEAL Network member. Martens first joined the group as managing director of eSailors. After six years and a half in that position, he was promoted to chief commercial officer and head of the LOTTO24 and Tipp24 businesses.
Martens eventually became CCO of ZEAL Network and joined its executive board.
Prior to his time with ZEAL, Martens served in a banking position at HSH Nordbank. He also had a short stint as a consultant at Roland Berger Strategy Consultants and held a variety of positions at XING. In 2010, Martens founded loftville.com, a marketplace for top real estate offers.
Martens Will Pursue Entrepreneurial Opportunities
ZEAL Network’s chief executive officer, Helmut Becker, commented on the development, saying that the group regrets Martens’ decision to depart from the company. Despite that, Becker, on behalf of the executive board, wished the outgoing CCO all the best.
Becker praised Martens for his incredible contributions to ZEAL, as well as for the passion and spirit he brought to the company.
According to CEO Becker, Martens will now pursue entrepreneurial opportunities outside of the company.
Peter Steiner, the chair of ZEAL’s board, also commented on the matter, thanking Martens for his commitment to ZEAL Network and its Lotto24 and Tipp 24 brands. Steiner explained that Martens has had an important role in shaping ZEAL’s culture and thanked him for his contributions to turning ZEAL into a leading e-commerce company.