New Danske Spil chief to start on 1 October

Nikolas Lynhe-Knudsen, executive board member and director of economics, technology and media production at the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR), will take on the role of chief executive at Denmark’s state-controlled gaming operator, Danske Spil, from 1 October 2020.

Lynhe-Knudsen will take over from current CEO Susanne Mørch Koch. In addition to his experience at DR, has held a number of high profile business and government roles, including ten years at the Ministry of Finance.

Commenting on his appointment, he said: “I am extremely proud to be part of a historic company that has been [operated] for the benefit of the whole of Denmark for more than 70 years.”

“Together with the rest of the team at Danske Spil I look forward to continuing to secure the financial foundation under the associations and more than 1,300 initiatives in, among other things, cultural life, sports, health and the protection of the environment and climate, which benefit every year through the distribution funds from over DKK1bn from Danske Spil's lotteries.”

Recently appointed chairman of the board Peter Christensen added: “I am delighted to welcome Nikolas Lyhne-Knudsen to Danske Spil as new CEO on behalf of the board of directors.”

“[He] has the right skills and personal qualities to continue this important community mission and lay the foundation for the future of Danske Spil.”

In 2019, Danske Spil’s total social contribution was DKK2.954bn (£358.6m/EUR396.3m/$446.8m) including profits and taxes. The operator recorded a slight increase in year-on-year revenue for Q1 2020, with increased lottery sales offsetting declines in its igaming and gaming machine operations.