Viaplay Group Appoints Group CFO, Co-CEOs of Swedish Operations

Viaplay Group has tapped Johan Johansson as executive VP, group chief financial officer and co-CEO of Swedish operations.

Joining Viaplay Group no later than August 1, Johansson has been CFO and deputy CEO of the growth and funding platform Gilion (formerly Ark Kapital) for the past year, having previously been CEO and then a board member of watch and jewelry retailer Daniel Wellington. Prior to this, Johan was CEO of the telecom operator Three in Sweden, after starting his career and spending a total of ten years at Modern Times Group (MTG), Viaplay Group’s former parent company.

Christian Albeck, who has served as executive VP of content acquisition since July 2023, will take on the additional role of co-CEO of the Swedish operations on a permanent basis, having served as interim CEO since January. Albeck has worked at Viaplay Group and MTG for over 21 years.

Enrique Patrickson, who has been executive VP, group CFO and head of strategy and M&A since August 2022, has decided to leave the group and will remain in his position during a transition period.

Jørgen Madsen Lindemann, Viaplay Group’s president and CEO, said: “Johan knows Viaplay Group and our products very well from his previous roles at MTG and has gathered wide-ranging and highly relevant experience from the leadership positions he has held since leaving MTG. I am looking forward to working with him again as we continue to retransform Viaplay Group into the geographically focused and profitably growing company that it should be. We have many operational improvements and innovations to make in Sweden and across the group, and the combination of Christian and Johan’s skills and backgrounds will be vital in the entrepreneurial development of this exciting business in the rapidly evolving entertainment industry.

“It has been a great pleasure working with Enrique since last June, and I am very grateful to have had him at my side driving the recapitalization and retransformation of Viaplay Group from a functionally oriented group with broad content spend into a much more country- and product-focused organization. He has made a vital contribution to getting the Group back on track. Our clear priorities now are to deliver commercially viable content, right-price our entertainment offerings, explore new revenue streams, nurture strategic partnerships and maintain strict cost control in an accountable organization.”

Simon Duffy, interim chair of the Viaplay Group board of directors, added: “I would like to thank Enrique for the instrumental role he played in the recapitalization process while at the same time successfully leading the finance, M&A and strategy teams as we have implemented a massive transformation program and divested significant parts of our business. We wish him the very best for the future. The caliber of the new appointments reflects the strength and attractiveness of the Viaplay group business, our products and our people. We have a lot to achieve now that the recapitalization of the group has been completed, and we are addressing key sales and cost drivers across the business in order to drive improved and sustainable return on investment levels.”