LeoVegas reshuffle as LeoSafePlay becomes standalone unit

LeoVegas has established its LeoSafePlay responsible gambling initiative as a standalone business unit and reshuffled its management team, with Richard Woodbridge set to arrive in 2019 as the company’s new chief operating officer.

LeoSafePlay, an external site from LeoVegas.com, was launched in November as a platform to offer customers services to encourage responsible gambling.

LeoVegas said today that Rikard Ljungman will leave his position as chief commercial officer in order to focus entirely on responsible gaming and LeoSafePlay.

“LeoSafePlay will be run as a separate business unit in order to create the best conditions for the next generation responsible gaming system based on machine learning,” the company said.

Woodbridge, who will join on January 9 next year, will assume Ljungman’s commercial-related duties in Malta.

He will join the company from his role as chief operating officer of retailer Ellos Group, having previously served in the same role at e-commerce company Nelly.com.

“Richard's background and personality are a perfect fit for LeoVegas as we continue to focus on growth and sustainability,” said group CEO Gustaf Hagman, who underlined the company’s financial targets of achieving €600m (£531m/$705m) in revenue and at least €100m in earnings before deductions in 2020.

“Overarching responsibility for operations is growing increasingly important now that we have some 750 employees, of whom 400 are based in Malta.

“LeoVegas is a data-driven company in which we use a number of key metrics to further improve ourselves and increase our productivity. This has become even more crucial as we have begun acquiring companies and working with multiple brands.”

LeoVegas’ current chief operating officer, Marcus Nylén, will remain in position until Woodbridge’s arrival. However, he will leave the group management team to focus on his role as head of LeoVegas’ global expansion, because his wife Louise is to assume the newly-created role of deputy CEO of mobile gaming. She was previously the company’s chief marketing officer, but the role will now be split across several positions.

“Louise has been with LeoVegas and based in Malta since 2013, holding the position as CMO since 2015,” Hagman (pictured) added.

“In that role she has built up a data-driven and effective market team that is responsible for LeoVegas' customer acquisition and global brand-building. Much of the approach in this work can be used across a broader front in the company.”

The reshuffle has come two months after Stefan Nelson was installed as the company’s new chief financial officer.