New CEO named at Hero Gaming following company reorganisation, workforce cut by up to half

Sarah Stellini has been appointed CEO at Hero Gaming, as it continues its process of reorganisation following the sale of its Swedish B2C assets. While the announcement was made on Monday, she started her new position at the start of November.

Hero Gaming remarked that Ms Stellini will be taking the company “through its next phase whilst aiming to reach new heights”, together with a “new management team and an amazing group of talented heroes”.

She first joined the iGaming company as Commercial Director – All Markets in April.

Ms Stellini has over 13 years of experience within the digital entertainment industry, and is particularly skilled when it comes to marketing and acquisition. Indeed, Hero Gaming remarked that she brings “significant knowledge and a fresh perspective to the business”.

Hero Gaming has been working through its strategy and structure since the sale of its Swedish brands in August 2021. “In recent months, the company had been looking at ways in which it could focus more on the core markets and deliver the best gaming experience for its customers”, which prompted Hero Gaming to undertake a reorganisation to achieve “a more streamlined company whilst at the same time bringing more focus to its activities”.

“We regret to see some of our heroes moving on and we’re thankful for their work and contributions to the company’s journey so far. However, the reorganisation in itself was a much needed process for the company to ensure its long-term future,” Ms Stellini explained, before thanking former CEO Patrick Jonker and his team for their “hard work” as the company is now in a “better position to react with agility with respect to the core markets which it operates in”.

Indeed, earlier this month it was revealed that the company cut its workforce by up to half, with approximately 60 employees on their way out through redundancy or resignation.

“The future of Hero Gaming now lies in its core markets with the aim of continuing to deliver the best customer experience and innovative products to its customer base,” she added.

Hero Gaming Founder and Chairman George Westin joined Ms Stellini in her optimism, saying that he has “as much faith in Hero Gaming as ever and with the great people, technology and brand, we have a thriving future”. He added that Ms Stellini has the “energy” to form the new organisation and will be a “great CEO”.

Aside from her experience at Hero Gaming, Ms Stellini also had two spells at Betsson Group, where she served in various senior roles, including Head of Growth Optimisation and Head of New Business. She also worked as Commercial Product Owner at Catena Media for over a year, and a number of managerial and senior roles at software vendor Uniblue Systems Ltd. She holds of a Bachelor of Psychology degree from University of Malta, and a Master of Arts in Events Marketing and Management from London Metropolitan University.

Hero Gaming was founded in 2013 by Mr Westin, with an initial focus on the Scandinavian market. Over recent years, the casino company has grown to include the launch of a number of new brands to its portfolio, as it aims to continue expanding its services to a global level.