Norsk Tipping has appointed Trond Bentestuen as its new CEO, replacing Vegar Strand who was in the role on an interim basis since the summer.
In June, then-CEO Tonje Sagstuen resigned following a major lottery draw error which saw several thousand players incorrectly told they had won significant sums of money.
The state-owned lottery was also fined NOK10m (£746,967) for the error by the Norwegian Gambling Authority.
Bentestuen’s start date has not been confirmed yet, but he arrives from building supplier Maxbo, where he held the position of CEO for the past three years.
Prior to that, he headed up discount supermarket REMA 1000 from September 2018 until November 2021.
Bentestuen also spent more than nine years with Norwegian bank DNB, holding several roles including group executive vice-president of marketing, communications and ebusiness and group executive vice-president of personal banking.
He has also sat on multiple boards, having held the position of chair of the DNB Eiendom from 2013 until 2018 and DNB Forsikring from 2016 until 2018.
At Norsk Tipping, Bentestuen will be tasked with continuing to deliver on the state-owned lottery operator’s mantra of delivering “world-class digital customer experiences” as well as being a “force for change”.
Sylvia Brustad, Norsk Tipping chair, said: “I am pleased that Trond Bentestuen has been appointed as the new CEO.
“Trond’s broad management experience and personal qualities make me confident that he is the right person for Norsk Tipping when the company is to deliver on its adopted main ambitions of a society without gambling problems, world-class digital customer experiences and a strong force for change.”
Discussing his priorities for his new role, Bentestuen added: “Ensuring that responsible gaming and the prevention of gambling addiction are combined with efficient operations that ensure that as much of the revenue as possible goes to good causes is a balancing act.
“I believe we best balance these considerations within the framework of the exclusive model. Norsk Tipping as the exclusive provider of gambling is dependent on a high level of trust in society.
“We must then deliver on our social mission, but also through good offers and services to our customers. I look forward to getting to know those for whom Norsk Tipping exists: the customers, sports, volunteering, culture – and the owners.”
Arnold Ash is EGR’s Executive Recruitment Partner. They support ambitious organisations to identify and attract industry leading executive talent. Find out more here.
The post Norsk Tipping names former banking exec as CEO first appeared on EGR Intel.
Trond Bentestuen appointed in wake of state-owned lottery error during the summer which led to Tonje Sagstuen stepping down and a NOK10m fine
The post Norsk Tipping names former banking exec as CEO first appeared on EGR Intel.