Kindred’s c-suite shakeup is likely to continue after it emerged that Chief Marketing Officer Elen Barber and Chief Commercial Officer Anne-Jaap Snijders are set to leave the group.
Barber and Snijders follow CEO Henrik Tjärnström out of the exit door after he called time on 13 years as Kindred CEO, and over 20 years affiliated with the group.
The departures come as a result of a strategic review into alternatives for the group, after a disastrous 2022 saw Kindred seek a resolution this year to maximize shareholder value. Barber and Snijders will remain at Kindred until the fall.
Barber commented: ‘I’m proud to have played my part in Kindred’s success over the past 13 years. Our fantastic global marketing team has built a solid foundation upon which Kindred can continue to grow in competitive and exciting markets. It’s now the right time for me to move on to fresh opportunities ahead.”
The CMO first joined the company in 2010 before climbing the ladder in roles such as Head of Affiliates, Head of Performance Marketing, Head of Digital Advertising, and Director of Central Brand Marketing before becoming CMO in January 2019.
Snijders joined the group in 2012 as General Manager of Australia before becoming Kindred’s Head of Western Europe in 2013 and CCO four years ago.
On his upcoming departure, Snijders explained: “I had a great time at Kindred. It has been a fantastic journey working out of the Sydney, Malta, and Amsterdam offices with extremely talented colleagues. The pinnacle was to receive the Dutch license and build up market leadership with the local teams.”
Despite several members of the C-level team departing the group, which also included the exit of CFO Johan Wilsby, Kindred noted that these updates are unrelated and unconnected.
Nils Andén, who replaced Tjärnström as temporary CEO, will now lead the search for successors to those who are leaving, as well as help to facilitate potential M&A activity that may arise from its strategic alternative search.
Anders Ström hints at Kindred rift
As the senior leadership changes continue, SBC News has reported that the founder of Unibet Group Anders Ström has opened up on a dispute between himself and outgoing CEO Tjärnström.
Citing differences between him ad Tjärnström in relation to US expansion, Ström noted that the group has spread too thinly over too many jurisdictions in recent years since he resigned as chairman in 2020.
He told Swedish business news source Dagens Industri: “In recent years the company has spread itself too thin with too many different projects. This primarily concerns the project of trying to enter the US at a cost of at least $50m per year.
“The ambition to build its own sportsbook, also this at a cost of around $50m per year, is at odds with the strategy that was nailed down in 2014 when Kambi was spun off from Unibet. To me, it’s madness.”
