Hacksaw Gaming CEO departs after strategic review

• Hacksaw Gaming has dismissed group CEO Christoffer Källberg with immediate effect following a board-led leadership review.
• Board member Ana Vrabic Verdir has been appointed interim group CEO, with a permanent recruitment process now under way.
• The move comes days after Hacksaw reported Q1 2026 revenue of €57.6m, up 28% year on year, beating analyst estimates.

Hacksaw Gaming has removed its group chief executive with immediate effect, citing a desire to align leadership more closely with its strategic ambitions, even as the company delivers some of its strongest financial results since listing on Nasdaq Stockholm.

Christoffer Källberg, who served as group CEO since the company’s large-cap IPO in June 2025, was dismissed on 30 April 2026. The board said it had conducted a thorough review of current leadership before concluding a change was necessary to further align with the group’s strategic direction.

Patrick Svensk, chairman of Hacksaw’s board, said the decision was not triggered by any specific incident or performance failure.

“Timing-wise, there is not much to say. We have done an evaluation of where we stand, as you always should. We think we have a good strategy and good development at the company, but we also think we want to look for new leadership that fits with our strategy and our ambitions,” Svensk told Swedish financial outlet EFN.

Asked whether anything had prompted the move, Svensk was direct:

“No, absolutely not. Nothing strange, nothing bad. Christoffer has done a great job, we are satisfied with the results he has delivered. But now we are looking for a somewhat different profile.”

Källberg declined to comment, referring questions to the chairman.

The timing

The announcement was made ahead of a Swedish public holiday, giving markets no immediate opportunity to respond and limiting short-term uncertainty for investors.

Hacksaw’s stock had surged more than 25% in the week prior to the dismissal, driven by a Q1 2026 earnings beat that saw revenue climb to €57.6m and adjusted EBIT reach €47.4m at an 82% margin. Results came in 5% above the analyst consensus estimate of €55.1m, with adjusted EBIT beating forecasts by 8%.

Svensk said the strong trading period was no reason to delay the change, explaining that executives are unable to perform at full capacity once they know they are leaving, making an immediate transition preferable.

Board appoints interim CEO

The board has appointed Ana Vrabic Verdir, a board member since 2024, as interim group CEO, and has launched a comprehensive search for a permanent successor.

Svensk said the board has a clear internal picture of what it wants in the next leader but is keeping requirements open for now. “A new profile for a new phase,” was how he described the search to EFN, declining to elaborate further.

Svensk distanced himself from comparisons to his tenure at Betsson, where he dismissed CEO Pontus Lindwall in 2021, a decision that proved controversial and ultimately led to Svensk’s own departure before Lindwall was reinstated.

“What happened with Betsson was not good for the company. It was an unfortunate story that I think both myself and Pontus and many others want to forget. This is a completely different thing, even though I can understand people drawing comparisons,” he said.

Severance and outlook

According to Hacksaw’s annual report, Källberg’s fixed annual salary stood at SEK 4.8m, with variable remuneration of up to the same amount. His contractual notice period is six months. As the dismissal was board-initiated, he is also entitled to a severance payment equivalent to six months’ basic salary.

The board stressed that the group’s strategy, operations and financial trajectory remain intact. Analyst consensus projects 30% revenue growth and 27% adjusted EBIT growth for the full year 2026, with margins forecast at 79.8%.

The leadership change comes at a pivotal moment. Beyond core trading, Hacksaw has been expanding its strategic footprint through Hacksaw Ventures, its early-stage investment arm backing emerging studios, and recently secured an online gaming service provider licence in Connecticut as part of its US expansion.

Investors and partners will be watching closely to see whether the incoming permanent CEO can sustain that momentum and carry forward the company’s broadening ambitions across regulated markets.