START x Nikolai Riesenkampff: From Skrill to SumUp to Kaiserslautern

From Skrill to SumUp, from the boardroom to the football club: what does it take to lead across industries?

Nikolai Riesenkampff, non-executive director at SumUp, joins us live online. Join us in person in Maastricht for an exclusive talk and Q&A, or tune in from anywhere in the world.

Few careers are as diverse as his. He was Co-CEO of Skrill, served as Vice Chairman and later Chairman of 1. FC Kaiserslautern, a traditional 2. Bundesliga club, and is managing director of his own foundation, the Riesenkampff Foundation, which supports children’s education in the Baltics. Today he is on the board side at SumUp, and he is an Adjunct Lecturer at UCL School of Management, where he teaches how growing firms are managed.

Nikolai will share what he has learned about leading in very different environments: scaling payment businesses, steering a traditional football club through the pressure of public attention, and building a purpose-driven organisation. We’ll also ask what carries over from one context to the next, and what doesn’t.

Expect an intimate session with plenty of room for questions and the chance to learn directly from someone who has led across fintech, sports and the non-profit sector. Questions for the Q&A are submitted via a Q&A platform, open to both in-person and online participants.

Format: Hybrid (in person + online)Date: 16.11.2026Beginning of Event: 18:30 (CET)

Event Structure:

18:30-18:45 Introduction

18:45-19:30 Talk

19:30-20:00 Q&A (via Q&A platform for all participants)

Location (in person):Lecture Room: StatenzaalMaastricht University, Faculty of LawBouillonstraat 1-36211 LH Maastricht

Online: The stream link is sent to all online ticket holders by email before the event.

In-person spots are limited and registration is required. Online participation is open to everyone. 🚀🧡(Speaker joins remotely)