other entertainment sectors where the experience could mirror that of iGaming.“ We have hand-picked international expertise [ from the sector ] to come to work for us. Then we are recruiting from Netflix, Bolt and those [ kinds of ] digital companies,” he says.
The business will ultimately maintain a mix of legacy Veikkaus staffers and new talent, which will encompass all the best parts of the entertainment industry.
For Reimblad, he says Kindred’ s transition into an FDJ company, after the operator was acquired by the French giant, meant his time at the company had reached a natural end. He was looking for a new experience and once he’ d met Nordlund, he realised what a fantastic leader he was.
“ He puts a lot of challenges on you and pressure, but he’ s a fantastic mentor and he has all these ideas about wanting me to have the freedom to execute things how I like. That was a big reason for me. It was [ also ] all about the timing,” he recalls.
As a Swede, joining a Finnish company was a challenge initially, but Nordlund insists the company is becoming broadly more international,
“ We need to be more exciting, more entertaining, [ and offer a ] better consumer experience”
Jarkko Nordlund, Veikkaus
and this is a deliberate effort to entice industry expertise from hubs like Malta. The company language is now English, Nordlund explains.
“ I’ ve found some really strong local candidates and also met a lot of Finnish people living abroad and working with other gaming companies that might want to move back in the future. I think people really see us as a strong operator in Finland,” Reimblad says.
Nordlund expects the wholesome work-life balance culture in Finland will attract talent over to Veikkaus. He praises Helsinki for its good schools and insists it is an easy commute to and from the office.
With the transformation at Veikkaus well and truly under way, the operator expects to return to growth by next year.“ We need to be more exciting, more entertaining, [ and offer a ] better consumer experience,” Nordlund concludes. Reflecting on the competition, Reimblad points out that while Finland is only a small focus for many of the independent operators, for Veikkaus this market is its entire revenue. With that in mind, it’ s certainly got a good shot at taking the lead.
iGB L! VE 2025 • ISSUE 138 • 33