Trailmix founder Carolin Krenzer becomes executive chair as James Nicholas takes on CEO role

• Carolin Krenzer has transitioned from CEO to executive chair at Trailmix.
• James Nicholas has been promoted from COO to CEO.

Trailmix founder and CEO Carolin Krenzer has transitioned into the role of executive chair after almost nine years.

She established Trailmix in late 2017 and running the company has been "the biggest part of my life for the last decade". She shared on LinkedIn that, while she will no longer be leading the company, she will remain committed to its success as executive chair.

James Nicholas has been selected to serve as the new CEO, having spent 3.5 years as Trailmix’s COO. He has already been running day-to-day operations for eight months and has known Krenzer for 13 years, as the pair previously worked together at King.

The right recipe

Trailmix is best known for its flagship mobile title Love & Pies, a merge game with customisation, café restoration and mystery wrapped into one. Krenzer called its audience an "extraordinarily loyal" one and believes she has accomplished what she set out to do: to prove casual games can carry real stories.

Nicholas has long been among the studio’s biggest supporters, "even before he joined", according to Krenzer. When she hired him in 2023, she did so "knowing he’d be a great person to succeed me one day".

She explained that they built a strategy together that’s currently being executed within Trailmix, preparing the company for the next era of games.

"Handing over the CEO role isn't a decision I took lightly - building and running Trailmix has been the biggest part of my life for the last decade. But I'm grateful beyond measure that I get to pass it to someone I trust completely," Krenzer posted.

"As for me, I’m not going very far: I remain a director of the Trailmix group and its executive chair. And even though I’m no longer in the driver’s seat, I am deeply committed to the success of the company. Congratulations, James. I'm looking forward to Trailmix's future under your leadership."

Krenzer also thanked employees past and present, as well as Supercell for being a good partner to Trailmix.

PocketGamer.biz ranked Trailmix among the Top 50 UK Game Makers of 2026.