Press release 

Berlin, 9 September 2026 

Starting in November, Mark Hoffmann, a manager with more than 15 years of experience leading and growing companies in online recruitment and media, will take over as CEO of softgarden, one of Germany’s leading recruiting software providers and part of Grupa Pracuj. The current CEO, Kirill Mankovski, will step down from his role at the end of October. 

“Kirill has led softgarden for nearly four years. I would like to thank him for his commitment and his contribution to the development of softgarden and the wider group,” said Przemysław Gacek, CEO of Grupa Pracuj, softgarden’s parent company. 

“Germany remains a strategically important market for us, which is why it was important to find a new CEO who knows the market well. Mark Hoffmann is exactly that person. I am confident that his experience and industry knowledge will quickly translate into positive results for our business in the German-speaking markets,” added Przemysław Gacek. 

Mark Hoffmann led meinestadt.de for more than eight years. The company is one of Germany’s established digital platforms, with a broad classifieds offering that includes recruitment, and is part of The Stepstone Group. During his tenure, Hoffmann was responsible for the company’s strategic and technological transformation and the development of its product offering. Previously, he co-founded and built Gruenderszene.de, one of the leading media brands in the German startup ecosystem, which was later acquired by Axel Springer. Since 2022, he has served on the Board of Directors of Swiss investment firm Backbone Ventures. 

“I am joining softgarden at an exciting stage. The company has shown that, even in a challenging market and a difficult economic environment, it can gain market share and continue to grow its customer base. I want to build on that together with the team. I see particularly strong potential in the increasing use of AI and in employers’ growing willingness to adopt modern HR tech solutions. I look forward to helping shape this next phase of softgarden’s development,” said Mark Hoffmann, incoming CEO of softgarden. 

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softgarden is one of Germany’s leading recruiting software providers and is also active in other European markets. The company’s recruiting software supports employers throughout the hiring process, from job advertising and applicant management to career sites, employer reviews, employee referrals and onboarding. softgarden also offers a multiposting service, enabling employers to publish job ads across multiple channels. Its solutions help shorten time-to-hire and attract more qualified candidates. 

softgarden’s services are currently used by around 2,000 employers, mainly in Germany, as well as in Austria, Switzerland and several other European countries. softgarden has been part of Grupa Pracuj since 2022. 

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Grupa Pracuj is a leading European technology group in the HR sector. It supports employers in recruitment, retention and employee development, helps users of its platforms find the right jobs and make full use of their potential, and develops world-class technologies shaping the future of the HR market. 

The group’s brands form an advanced digital ecosystem for the HR industry. Key brands include Pracuj.pl, Poland’s largest online job board; Robota.ua, a leading online job board in Ukraine; eRecruiter, Poland’s leading SaaS recruitment support system; softgarden, one of Germany’s leading recruiting software providers, also active in other European markets; and Kadromierz, a modern solution for workforce planning and working-time management. 

Grupa Pracuj has operated in Poland since 2000, in Ukraine since 2006 and in Germany since 2022. The group has around 1,100 employees in total. The company has been listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange since December 2021. 

For more information: 

softgarden – Madeline Timmer, Director Marketing, madeline.timmer@softgarden.de 

Grupa Pracuj – Magdalena Cumanis, Press Officer, magdalena.cumanis@pracuj.pl