Management Team

Managing Directors
Eric Eichmann
Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer

Eric Eichmann joined Spark Networks in November 2019. Previously, Eric was Chief Executive Officer at Criteo S.A. (NASDAQ: CRTO). Prior to joining Criteo, Eric was Chief Operating Officer at Living Social and at Rosetta Stone, SVP of Advertising Operations and Technology at AOL, and Eric was also a senior engagement manager at Mckinsey&Co. Eric holds a master’s degree in computer engineering from EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), and an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University.

Gitte Bendzulla
Managing Director, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Legal Officer
Gitte Bendzulla

Gitte Bendzulla joined Spark Networks as General Counsel in 2018. Since then, she has consecutively expanded her responsibilities, with her appointment to Managing Director, Chief Legal Counsel and Chief of Staff in 2019 adding responsibility for Spark’s People and Customer Care function.  

With her promotion to Chief Operating Officer in 2020, her portfolio has expanded further and now includes additional responsibility for Procurement, Office IT and Cyber Security. She and her teams are responsible for smooth, efficient and compliant operations of the business, driving growth and innovation by running the Company’s processes around OKRs.  

Before joining Spark Networks, Gitte held several senior legal positions on a European and global scale with Juniper Networks, APM Terminals, Eaton Industries and the SITA Suez group. Gitte started her career at the German-based law firm Graf von Westphalen in 2004. She is admitted to the German bar and holds a master’s degree from the University of Bayreuth (Germany), as well as a bachelor’s degree obtained in Berlin (Germany).

Senior Management
Kirill Priyatel
Chief Commercial Officer
Kirill Priyatel

Kirill Priyatel has been the Chief Commercial Officer for Spark Networks since January 2020. He joined Spark Networks in January 2016 and held various positions in monetization, analytics and strategy. Prior to joining Spark Networks, he led the small domestic appliances sector for global marketing consultancy company Gfk, and spent several years in the sports industry, working with ice hockey clubs across Europe. Kirill holds a bachelor’s degree in marketing from the Higher School of Economics in Russia, as well as a master’s degree in business administration from Jönköping International Business School in Sweden. He brings international experience to his role at Spark, having lived and worked in Russia, Sweden, and the Czech Republic before moving to Germany.

Tobias Plaputta
Chief Technology Officer
Tobias Plaputta

Tobias Plaputta has been the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for Spark Networks since November 2020. As CTO he leads technological innovations for Spark Networks’ portfolio of premium, complementary brands including Zoosk, EliteSingles, SilverSingles, Christian Mingle, Jdate, JSwipe and eDarling.

Tobias has over a decade of experience working with Spark’s products. Since joining as a developer in February 2010, he has been a part of several company milestones, including kickstarting mobile development in 2012, overseeing multiple new country launches of core products, managing company takeovers in France and the US, and running creative and development teams as a General Manager.