SBC News Voice of the Sports Betting Industry
Svenska Spel has hired Frank Hojem as Head of Communications and Sustainability, with the new addition to its senior management team due to assume duties later this year.
Sweden’s state-owned betting, gaming and lottery operator has highlighted Hojem’s political experience as being of particular significance to the role, which he will commence on 14 August reporting directly to CEO and President Patrik Hofbauer.
The new hire’s background includes tenures as Press Secretary to former Centre Party leader Maud Olofsson and Chief of Staff at the Ministry of Enterprise.
Hojem remarked: “I look forward to working with communication and sustainability at Svenska Spel, which has a unique position as the entire Swedish gambling company, as an important partner to Swedish sports, with a strong focus on sustainability and where the surplus goes back to society.
“It will be exciting to change industries and work with Svenska Spel, which has both a strong group brand and well-known product brands. I hope to contribute to further strengthening Svenska Spel’s trust among all our stakeholders and push our sustainability agenda forward.”
Hojem’s political experience may come in useful for Svenska Spel as a wave of regulatory change sweeps across Europe, and Sweden has been no exception to this.
Amendments to the 2018 Gambling Act were approved last year, covering – among other things – a restructuring of Svenska Spel. Currently, the Centre Party which Hojem worked for forms part of the governing four-party coalition.
Outside of politics, Hojem has experience in commercial communications from his most recent position as Head of Corporate Communication at Nordics-focused financial services firm SEB.
Prior to this he worked in communications and public affairs roles for LKAB, an international mining and mineral group, and is a graduate of the Stockholm School of Economics.
He joins Svenska Spel at a time of smooth trading for the firm. According to the company’s last financial update, Q1 2023 revenue was up 2% on the previous year to SEK 1.97bn (€175m), with online turnover noticeably higher.
“I am very happy to welcome Frank Hojem to Svenska Spel,” said Hofbauer. “As Head of Communication and Sustainability, he will be able to contribute with his solid competence in communication, and also his knowledge of sustainability work, which is a priority area for the Svenska Spel Group.
“Frank’s long experience in leading communication positions in large companies will be a very positive addition to our group management.”
