ZEAL moves for industry newcomer as CFO
Sebastian Bielski will join the lottery operator’s management board on 15 September before taking up the role of CFO on 1 October
ZEAL Network has appointed industry newcomer Sebastian Bielski as its new chief financial officer (CFO).
Bielski will join Zeal on 1 October. He has signed a three-year contract and will be responsible for finance, investor relations and all matters relating to ESG at ZEAL.
As well as joining as CFO, Bielski has been added to the company’s management board. He will start this role on 15 September.
Bielski joins the operator from solar energy firm Energiekonzepte Deutschland, where he spent the last nine months as the firm’s CFO.
Before that, he was CFO and a management board member at German lender smava. Bielski also held senior roles at Delivery Hero and spent eight years in the finance sector with Goldman Sachs and Archer Capital.
On Bielski’s appointment, Helmut Becker, ZEAL Network CEO, said: “I am looking forward to working with Bielski as our newest member of the management board. With his capital market expertise and broad experience in building high-growth businesses, he is a perfect fit for ZEAL, who can support us with our ambitious growth agenda.”
Bielski added: “I would like to thank the supervisory board of ZEAL for placing their trust in me. I am looking forward to taking on my new responsibilities and working together with the very ambitious management board team. ZEAL is an extraordinary success story, and I am excited to accompany ZEAL on its future growth path.”
Bielski will replace outgoing CFO Jonas Mattsson, who chose not to extend his contract beyond his current term due to personal reasons.
Mattsson was also CFO of ZEAL subsidiary LOTTO24 and will be replaced by Andrea Behrendt on 1 October, initially until 31 March 2024.
Mattsson will continue to support ZEAL as a special advisor until early 2024.
On Mattsson’s departure, Becker commented: “On behalf of the entire management board, I would like to extend my gratitude and best wishes to Mattsson for his outstanding contributions and his dedication to our company. Mattsson and his team have provided the financial foundation for the successful changes we have implemented in the past eight years, which ultimately allowed us to reach our strong position today as the leading ecommerce company defining the future of lottery.
“While we are sorry having to say goodbye to a highly valued member of our management board, we fully understand his reasons and wish him and his family all the best for the future,” Becker concluded.