In his first interview as CEO of Net Entertainment, Per Eriksson talks to Jenni Shuttleworth about his long-term vision for the company and how he intends to put his own stamp on things
It had only been a few weeks since starting his new role when iNTERGAMINGi spoke to Per Eriksson, but he already seemed to have adjusted to life as the new CEO of Net Entertainment. “It feels like I’ve been here for a while actually. I’m really enjoying it,” he remarked.
Although being appointed as CEO at the end of 2011, Eriksson didn’t start his new role until March 1. And just two days before walking into the plush offices of the Stockholm-based software supplier, he left his role as CEO and president of Dustin Group, a leading retailer of IT in the Nordics; not a great deal of time to prepare for the new job. “I had the evenings,” he commented. “I met with key people in the i-gaming industry, read articles, tested games. I didn’t have a long time before starting the job, but it was great fun.”
It may have only been a short time since taking over from Net Entertainment’s acting CEO Björn Krantz, but so far so good. “It’s been very inspiring and I think Net Entertainment is a very dynamic company with a lot of skilled people. I’ve met with all the staff already, talked to them and I’m really happy to see how many talented and good people we have in the company,” said Erikisson.
Prior to the Dustin Group, Eriksson was based outside London, UK, as the director of Dell EMC and before that, managing director of Dell in the Nordics, where he “helped build the company up”.
His spell in the IT industry spans 27 years in fact, which although is a substantial period of time by anyone’s standards, flew by for him. “Time flies and I had different roles throughout those years.” He added: “It’s a very strange feeling when I think back to my old job, it seems like it was ages ago.”
It’s fair to say that Erikisson’s perception of time is akin to someone who is too young to have almost 30 years of management under their belt, which is perhaps why he is so suited to the job and the industry. “It feels like being 10 or 15 years younger coming back into an industry that is really fast moving with great opportunities.”
This interview can be read in full in the secod 2012 edition of iNTERGAMINGi.
