Shape Games CCO appointed new chief growth officer at Xtremepush
Dublin-based CRM and AI specialists hire ex-PokerStars head Morten Tonnesen to boost expansion plans
Xtremepush has appointed former PokerStars and Shape Games head Morten Tonnesen as the firm’s new chief growth officer (CGO).
Tonnesen has more than a decade’s worth of experience with major gambling and technology companies and will now lead growth initiatives across the entire Xtremepush organisation.
As CGO, he will take charge of Xtremepush’s drive to establish relationships with tier-one operators.
In addition, he will also oversee sales, product and overall corporate strategy, leveraging his industry expertise in to scaling the business.
Tonnesen has a seasoned career within the online gambling and technology sector.
He joins Xtremepush from Shape Games where he was chief commercial officer and a major shareholder.
He joined the front-end developer in September 2021 and retained his role after the business was acquired by Kambi in 2022.
Prior to that, he co-founded BetWarrior and served as CEO for the Latam-facing sports betting operator before departing in March 2020.
Tonnesen cut his teeth in the industry with PokerStars in a six-year spell which began as head of CRM in February 2011.
He was then named director of customer experience in March 2012 before being appointed director of group marketing in April 2014.
The move to appoint Tonnesen follows a period of significant momentum for Xtremepush.
The firm acquired free-to-play games provider Thunderbite last September and recently opened an office in Brazil to help further the drive into the burgeoning Latam market.
Tommy Kearns, Xtremepush CEO, said: “Morten is a heavyweight addition to our leadership team who brings invaluable perspective from both the operator and supplier sides of the gaming industry.
“His entrepreneurial mindset, data-driven approach, and demonstrated success growing companies make him the ideal person to guide our expansion as we capitalise on increasing demand for our innovative AI-powered platform. He is a great addition to the ambitious culture we have created at Xtremepush.”
Speaking on his move, Tonnesen said: “Xtremepush has developed the best solution I have seen on the market for giving operators a sustainable competitive advantage by combining real-time data, AI, gamification and best-in-class CRM functionality into one unified platform.
“I’m thrilled to join such a talented, driven team who are so intent on achieving the business objectives of customers. I look forward to employing my extensive industry background to propel Xtremepush’s growth across all facets of the business during this exciting period.”
Arnold Ash is EGR’s Executive Recruitment Partner. They support ambitious organisations to identify and attract industry leading executive talent. Find out more here.