SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Issuing a corporate statement, Stockholm-listed industry affiliate network Catena Media has informed that Chief Executive Officer Robert Andersson has departed as leader with immediate effect.
The company has moved to install Henrik Persson Ekdahl as ‘acting Chief Executive’. Ekdahl a former Betsson AB Executive and current partner at Malta-based venture capital firm Optimizer Invest sits as a board advisor for Catena Media governance.
Optimizer Invest are a key backer of Catena, a leading industry affiliate network that has expanded its all-around services and portfolio through aggressive M&A.
Catena governance has not disclosed the reasons behind Andersson’s departure, simply issuing a short statement detailing the change of corporate leadership.
Kathryn Moore Baker, Chairwoman of Catena Media, commented on the update: “Catena Media has been through several growth stages in a short period of time. Robert Andersson’s assignment was to take the company through an IPO and later to introduce it to Nasdaq Stockholm’s main market, which he did with great results. Now, a new phase starts, which marks a new era in Catena Media’s success going forward. We are very pleased that Henrik Persson Ekdahl will take over as acting CEO. It sets the tone for what we want to achieve in the future. We will continue with our strong growth strategy and look for a permanent CEO in due time.”
Robert Andersson had been appointed CEO of Catena Media in May 2015, taking over operational leadership responsibilities from enterprise co-founders Erik Bergman and Emil Thidell.
Under Andersson’s guidance, Catena would undertake its aggressive European M&A expansion seeking to become the outright industry leader in player referrals and lead generation.
Andersson’s two-year tenure as CEO of Catena would see the company execute a number of high profile affiliate acquisitions including popular casino review portals’ AskGamblers.com (€15 million April 2016), CasinoUK (£10 million – December 2016) and Slotsia Sweden (€5 million May 2016).
During H1 2017, Catena governance would secure a maximum €100 million bond issue, detailing that the funds raised would be used to further its M&A expansion and improve its industry network capabilities.
At present, Catena governance has not specified how long Ekdahl will serve in the interim role, however, the firm confirms that it is actively seeking a replacement of Andersson as its corporate leader.
