Rovio, the Angry Birds’ company, announced this week that Kati Levoranta will succeed Pekka Rantala as CEO of the company.
Rovio is shifting more operational responsibility and decision-making into its two business divisions Games and Media. This change has made Pekka Rantala, current CEO of Rovio voluntarily step aside.
Rantala will stay on as CEO until the end of the year to ensure a smooth leadership transition on January 1st, 2016.
But this is not the only change in the leading team of Rovio: Mikael Hed will lead Rovio’s media business, including its licensing activities, and Wilhelm Taht will lead the company’s games unit.
The new CEO joined Rovio in 2012 as Chief Legal Officer, and has also headed the company’s sales for the EMEA region since March 2015.
“As we move into the next phase of the Rovio story, we will be getting back to our entrepreneurial roots with the leaner, more agile organization that Pekka leaves us with. Kati Levoranta has been an inspirational presence at Rovio since 2012, and I am certain that she is the right leader to empower the business units and take us to new successes in all our businesses,” says Kaj Hed, Rovio´s Chairman.
Mikael Hed, who will lead Rovio’s media business including the production of The Angry Birds Movie, is a board member and co-founder of Rovio and serves as Chairman of the Rovio Animation Company.
Wilhelm Taht, who will lead the company’s games business, has previously served as Head of Rovio Stars, Rovio’s publisher of games produced by third-party developers.
CLeadership changes for a leaner structure
Rovio Entertainment Ltd concluded in late october this year the negotiations with the employees announced on August 26 th.
As a result, Rovio reduced its workforce by 213 positions, accross the whole organization, excluding those working on the production of the The Angry Birds Movie in the United States and Canada.
Rovio Entertainment announced in October as well that the company planned to get restructured and concentrate its activities around three primary business areas: games, media and consumer products.
Image over the headline.- Kati Levoranta, who will take on CEO Rovio in January 2016. © Rovio.
