PartyGaming hires former Expekt CEO Widerström
PartyGaming has hired former Expekt chief executive Per Widerström to a newly created role of chief operating officer (COO), just a month after Widerström left Expekt in a management re-shuffle...
PARTYGAMING HAS hired former Expekt chief executive Per Widerström to a newly created role of chief operating officer (COO) just a month after he left Expekt.
Widerström left Expekt after differences of opinion with new owners Mangas Gaming in a management re-shuffle that saw him replaced on an interim basis by Betclic chief executive and Mangas COO Nicolas Beraud. PartyGaming spokesman John Shepherd stressed that Widerström’s leaving “was by mutual consent.” He will join Party on 15 February.
Before joining Expekt, which has a greater emphasis on sports betting than the more games-focused Party, Widerström (pictured) held roles including as vice president and COO at Ukrainian phone network Kyivstar GSM, chief executive at Telenor Mobile Sweden and director of operational marketing and business development for The Coca-Cola Company.
PartyGaming chief executive Jim Ryan said: “Per will report directly to me and will be primarily responsible for driving growth across the PartyGaming brands. He has a great track record for leading business operations and delivering results. I’m confident he will be a great asset for PartyGaming.”
The executive reshuffle at Mangas Gaming, a new entrant to the 2009 Power 50 leading operators and the French parent company of Betclic, Expekt and Bet-At-Home, also saw Expekt chief financial officer Joe Sanchez shaken out, replaced on an interim basis by Maarten Van Hecke, and Betclic chief operating officer Thomas Winter act on an interim basis alongside Béraud as Expekt’s chief operating officer. Beraud has denied that planned ‘efficiency gains’ at Expekt mean further job cuts.
In other company news today, PartyGaming unveiled fourth quarter key performance indicators showing revenue up almost a third. In other recent company people news, former PartyGaming marketing chief Jon Salmon joined Gaming VC as head of casino, while PartyGaming founder Anurag Dikshit sold his remaining stake in the business.
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