Abou el Alla takes top product role at Gauselmann’s Merkur Sportwetten

Gauselmann Group has appointed Rene Abou el Alla as the new chief product officer for its Merkur Sportwetten sports betting business.

In his new role, Abou el Alla will focus on professional product management, working within the Merkur Sportwetten business and in cooperation with Gauslemann’s Cashpoint Solutions technology arm.

Abou el Alla joins from MediaMarktSaturn Retail Group, where he had been serving as lead product owner CRM with responsibility for product development of the international CRM platform and the associated loyalty programs.

“The Sportwetten product appeals to me very much; I see great technological potential and many opportunities to set myself apart from the competition in the long term,” Abou el Alla said.

Markus Ettlin, chief executive of Merkur Sportwetten, added: “The sports betting market in Germany is very competitive, and here we must and want to convince with quality.

“Rene Abou el Alla is an experienced and proven expert in his field. I am very confident that he will give important impulses so that we will soon be one of the best and fastest omni-channel betting platforms in the market.”

Gauselmann has made a number of senior hires for its Merkur Sportwetten arm this year, including Markus Ettlin as the new managing director and chairman for the division.

Mathias Dahms, formerly chief executive of mybet and XtiP, was also brought in to manage the Merkur Sports & Gaming business.