Net Ent chief suddenly resigns
After several months of board level discussions planning his departure, the Net Ent CEO resigns for "family reasons".
The chief executive of casino supplier Net Entertainment, Johan Ãhman, has resigned with immediate effect following “months” of discussions in which the board co-operated in planning his departure, the Swedish company’s chairman told eGaming Review this morning.
Staff were told at 1pm last Friday that Ãhman was leaving for “family reasons”, however Vigo Carlund, Net Entertainment chairman, told eGaming Review earlier today that Ãhman and the board, that also includes Betsson chairman Pontus Lindwall, had been “discussing this for some time” and that they had “come to this conclusion”.
“We have parted ways but the company is functioning well and we’re in a good position [with the recent opening of casino licences in Italy],” Carlund said. “He [Ãhman] will be available to the board for the next three months.
Ãhman, who was at Net Ent for a total of eight years and employed as CEO for five and a half, built up a solid business during his time with the company today worth an estimated SEK2.2bn (£215m). His role will be taken temporarily by Björn Krantz, current CEO of the company’s Maltese operations. Krantz will serve as interim CEO for around three months until a permanent replacement for Ãhman is found “by the autumn”.
Carlund added the company would look for someone with “IT and marketing knowledge and with good leadership skills”. “It is hard to find someone from within the industry so someone perhaps from the telecoms or IT sectors would be suitable,” he added.
On 18 July Italian operator AAMS opened up casino and cash poker licences for online operators. Net Entertainment became one of the first licensees to enter the market, launching casino games with partner Gioco Digitale.