NetEnt chief executive Therese Hillman has officially left the business as planned, following the slots specialist’s acquisition by Evolution, with operational finance chief Lara Falzon also departing.
Hillman’s departure was announced in December last year after the SEK19.6bn (£1.67bn/€1.93bn/$2.33bn) acquisition was finalised, when Evolution began a “total reorganisation” of the supplier.
At the time Evolution said Hillman, who was ranked as one of the industry’s most influential women by iGB in 2019, would depart in the first quarter of 2021.
This drive, which aims to reduce annual costs by around €30m per year, which was originally set to result in 300 layoffs at NetEnt.
However, an industrial dispute raised by the General Workers’ Union for Malta (GWU), reduced this number by 40, and saw improved settlement offers being granted to the laid-off staff.
In a post on LinkedIn Hillman said the business had highs and lows during her tenure, in which a to of “tough” decisions had to be made. However she added it also covered a number of positive developments such as successful game releases, the acquisition of Red Tiger.
In related news, NetEnt’s operational chief financial officer – and another Most Influential Woman grandee – Lara Falzon has also stepped down from her role.
Falzon joined NetEnt through its acquisition of Red Tiger, playing a key role in negotiating that transaction.
While she has not given any indication on her next role, Falzon was recently appointed to the board of Bragg Gaming Group, the B2B technology supplier that owns slot developer and aggregator Oryx Gaming.
