Zona de Azar Sweden – Svenska Spel Appoints Anna Johnson as Its New CEO
Sweden.- December 19th 2023 www.zonadeazar.com Swedish state-owned gambling operator Svenska Spel has chosen Anna Johnson, the Swedish leader of Grant Thornton, as its new CEO. Johnson, an authorized accountant, has been with Grant Thornton since 1998 and currently serves as a partner and CEO in Sweden. She will take over from the current CEO, Patrik Hofbauer, by June 2024. Hofbauer’s departure was announced in October, and he will officially leave Svenska Spel on January 31, 2024. In the interim, group chairman Erik Strand will act as CEO until Johnson assumes the role.
Erik Strand, the group chairman, praised Johnson’s successful leadership based on inclusion and building strong teams that create customer value, resulting in profitable growth over the years. He expressed confidence in Johnson’s ability to lead Svenska Spel through a period of change, emphasizing the organization’s readiness to offer sustainable gaming experiences.
Anna Johnson expressed her gratitude for the opportunity, acknowledging Svenska Spel’s strong brand and its unique position to provide sustainable gaming that brings joy and excitement to the Swedish people and sports. She looks forward to leading Svenska Spel’s journey of change, working with employees to achieve positive results.
Patrik Hofbauer, the outgoing CEO, is set to become the president and CEO of telecommunications company Telia Company in February after leading Svenska Spel for five years.
Svenska Spel’s Q3 revenue saw a marginal 1% year-on-year increase to SEK1.97 billion ($177 million/€167 million/£145 million). This performance aligned with the overall Swedish market, which experienced stagnation in H1 for the first time since mid-2020.
Anna Johnson’s appointment occurs amid a period of reflection for the Swedish gambling industry, five years after its re-regulation. Recently, Sweden’s National Audit Office initiated an audit of regulator Spelinspektionen to assess the effectiveness of its supervision. The audit follows research indicating a ten-fold increase in visitor traffic to unlicensed websites since 2019. Channelisation rates for regulated online gambling in Q3 ranged from 70% to 82%. Despite a 30.5% year-on-year increase in turnover from land-based casinos, GGR from non-profit lotteries in Sweden during Q3 decreased by 8.26%, reflecting a 0.6% year-on-year decrease in overall GGR, remaining stable at SEK6.7 billion, the same as Q2 2023.
Edited by: @MaiaDigital www.zonadeazar.com
