Management changes at the start of the year: the job wheel turns at Kamux, N26 and Solaris

The turn of the year 2025/26 brings movement to the boardrooms of several European companies. Whether in retail, fintech or the embedded finance sector, at the end of the year, new board members are appointed, handovers are prepared and the strategic course is set for the next phase of growth. Three current examples show how dynamically the personnel carousel turns at the end of the year.

Kamux: Chief People Officer leaves the company

There is a change in the Group Management Team at Finnish used car dealer Kamux. Joanna Clark, Chief People Officer and member of Group Management, is leaving the company to take up a new position outside Kamux. She will remain in office until the end of March 2026 to ensure an orderly transition.

The recruitment process for her successor will start immediately. CEO JuhaKalliokoski acknowledged Clark's contribution to the further development of the organization and emphasized the importance of stable HR leadership for the continued growth of the internationally active group of companies.

N26: Co-founder retires. Transition to the new generation of CEOs

The turn of the year at Berlin-based neobank N26 is also marked by a planned change in management. Maximilian Tayenthal, co-founder and co-CEO, is stepping down from his operational roles as co-CEO and COO on December 31, 2025. N26 is thus preparing the transition to a new top management team.

Building N26 was one of the most formative experiences of my life.

Maximilian Tayenthal, co-founder and co-CEO of N26

Until the new CEO Mike Dargan takes office in April 2026, N26 will be led on an interim basis by Arnd Schwierholz (CFO) and Marcus W. Mosen as Co-CEOs. In addition, the Executive Board team was recently strengthened by Jochen Klöpper as Chief Risk Officer. The change in leadership takes place against the backdrop of stabilized business development: After reaching the break-even point in 2024, N26 is aiming for sustainable profitability in 2025.

Tayenthal's departure also marks the end of a founding era and the transition to a more managerial growth phase.

Solaris: Management Board reorganized after completed restructuring

At the Berlin-based embedded finance platform Solaris, the change in management is part of a comprehensive succession process following a far-reaching restructuring. CEO Carsten Höltkemeyer will step down from the Management Board at the end of 2025 and will remain associated with the company in an advisory capacity. Under his leadership, Solaris has been stabilized financially and in regulatory terms and geared towards profitable growth.

His successor will be Steffen Jentsch, who was previously a member of the Management Board of flatexDEGIRO AG. He is a manager with extensive experience in digital financial platforms, regulatory transformations and scaling processes. At the same time, CRO Ansgar Finken is also leaving the Management Board. He will be succeeded by Matthias Heinrich, most recently Chief Risk Officer at flatexDEGIRO Bank AG.

Joining Solaris at such a crucial stage in its development is a major task. In the digital financial world, robust and future-oriented risk management is the foundation for trust and a key driver for sustainable scaling.

Matthias Heinrich, designated CRO

The personnel relaunch follows the entry of the Japanese financial group SBI, which secured a majority stake in Solaris at the beginning of 2025. The new management team is now tasked with shaping the next phase of growth in Europe.

The turn of the year as a natural turning point

The current examples show that the turn of the year remains a classic time for strategic personnel decisions. After restructuring, growth phases or regulatory adjustments, many companies use the transition into the new year to redistribute responsibilities and align the organization with the challenges ahead.

For founders and managers, this is a familiar pattern and further proof that the job wheel in the startup and tech ecosystem turns particularly quickly at the end of the year.