OTTO Payments, the financial services arm of the Otto Group, announces a significant leadership transition: effective 1 July 2025, Leon Merx will assume the role of Managing Director, succeeding Hans Georg Spliethoff. The German Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) approved the appointment earlier this month.
© Otto Group
Leon Merx, the new MD of Otto Payments.
Merx, a seasoned expert in financial technology and digital payments, will oversee back office operations at OTTO Payments, including compliance and risk management. He brings with him an extensive background in the payments industry, having held senior roles at Wallis GmbH and Star Finanz GmbH, as well as positions at consultancy firm zeb and UniCredit Bank AG.
"I'm very much looking forward to my new role and working with the OTTO Payments team. Together, we will further increase our customer satisfaction and develop OTTO Payments as an innovative, economically strong payment partner that is also well prepared for the future challenges posed by competition and regulation in digital payments," said Leon Merx.
As part of a planned transition, Merx will gradually take over responsibilities from Spliethoff, who will officially leave the management team on 30 June 2026 to take on a new role within the Otto Group. This one-year overlap aims to ensure a seamless handover across all business areas.
Hans Georg Spliethoff, a mathematician and finance expert, has held various leadership roles within the Otto Group since 1993. He played a pivotal role in the formation and growth of OTTO Payments, assuming the top position at the end of 2020.
'We would like to thank Hans Georg Spliethoff for his outstanding contribution and his services in building OTTO Payments. As a member of the management team, he has made a significant contribution to the establishment and extremely positive development of OTTO Payments over the past few years, shaping the company into a stable and economically successful entity,' stated Katy Roewer, Member of the Otto Group Board of Management for Finance, Controlling, and Human Resources.
In a concurrent development, Nicola Bause will be appointed authorised signatory as of 1 July 2025. She has played a central role in OTTO Payments since early 2020 and will continue as Head of Product while taking on broader responsibilities to support the management team.
Andrea Becker, OTTO's Executive Board Member for Service and Chair of the OTTO Payments Advisory Board since 1 May 2025, remarked: 'I'm very much looking forward to working with Leon Merx. With his proven and long-standing expertise in the payments sector, Leon will drive our growth strategy with a clear focus on customer orientation and compliance and further develop the company.'
Mirko Krauel, CEO of OTTO Payments, added: 'I'm very much looking forward to working with Leon and Nicola's expanded role. Together, we are ideally positioned for the challenges and projects ahead. I would like to thank Hans Georg Spliethoff for his extraordinary commitment to OTTO Payments and wish him all the best for his future career within the Otto Group.'
OTTO Payments handles secure, end-to-end payment processing for OTTO, Germany's largest online shopping platform, and supports broader payment initiatives across the Otto Group.
More information:
Otto GmbH & Co. KGaA
www.otto.de