Ingenico is turning the page in DACH with Roland W. Sorke – the new German Managing Director – joining to lead the region forward

Through this interview, Roland W. Sorke sets out his vision for DACH as its newly appointed Managing Director and Chief Sales Office (CSO).

Coming from a background in banking, retail and technology, Roland W. Sorke is no stranger to payments and brings with him a deep knowledge of financial services and technology. Drawn by the prospect of the booming digital payment sector, Roland is up for the challenge:

Roland, what was your first impression when joining the company?

Ingenico embarked on a new strategy in October 2022 by leaving the Worldline Group. The move accelerated Ingenico’s global transition towards a greater mix of software and cloud-based services. And we see that happening all over the world as we gain traction with lots of existing and also new customers.

By bringing the global strategy into the DACH market, our customers could benefit from important changes in the coming quarters as Ingenico ramps up the regional launch of its latest solutions and services.

In the DACH region cash is still very popular among various merchant verticals and there are not as many payment devices as in our neighbouring European countries for example. But this is changing now and we support the merchant´s transition towards digital contactless payments in all verticals with great innovations and services.

What is your approach to tackle such a challenge? 

Smart payment solutions - wireless, contactless, with NFC, wearables or with QR codes - are entering the market and opening up new and exciting business opportunities for merchants. For this, Ingenico offers a portfolio of different solutions to add value to customers and address specific business needs. We will also commercialise our portfolio more and more "as a software" and "as a service" - currently Ingenico Terminal as a Service or Ingenico Software POS are in high demand.

On one hand, we launch our Android solutions which are going to be a game changer for the region. Not only do we have a super secure, trustable payment solution capable of handling digital transactions, there is sufficient power for additional services and functionality to be added from our marketplace.

On the other hand, we will leverage the Ingenico partner ecosystem which includes a wide selection of high-quality payment and business applications that customers can benefit from. These applications from our PPaaS App Store can help merchants to address the biggest challenges they are being faced with in different verticals. For example, in the hospitality sector, we have apps that support digital receipts, managing tips and customer loyalty, food ordering, stock management and delivery, on top of payment.

Finally, it is important that we adopt the right mindset to make our vision a reality. For real change to happen, we must say what we aim for and do what we say. That´s it.

What is the key factor to succeed? 

Be closer than ever to your customer’s needs! Customisation, flexibility and agility are paramount. Offering the best-fit solutions through smart packages is key. I believe Ingenico is one of the few payment solution providers capable of doing so.

I am having numerous meetings with our customers and partners in these months – to introduce myself personally and face-to-face. Some might think this sounds a little old school, but it´s not. Trust, partnership and growth will happen if we build strong relationships. This is the beginning of a trusted and strong collaborative journey.

Witness and observe our transformation

With his vision to “make it happen” in DACH, and previous experience in change management and digital transformation, Roland is eager to support the EMEA team to truly transform and grow.