Horse Racing Veteran Named Brand-new Interim CEO Of Sweden's ATG
Swedish horse racing betting operator, AB Trav och Galopp (ATG), has called Jörgen Forsberg as its brand-new interim Chief Executive Officer.
The management shuffles at the top of ATG were triggered by the resignation of former CEO Hasse Lord Skarplöth, who held the function for 13 years.
His notice was handed in at the exact same time as ATG exposed a stagnating FY25 financial profile, with lower YoY performance throughout the board. Both Skarplöth and ATG's Board stated at the time that they were parting methods due to contrasting views about the operator's future.
Skarplöth's location was immediately taken up by Peter Norman, ATG Chairman, who has actually been acting as the interim CEO previously, with Forsberg replacing him so that he can totally return to his chairing tasks.
Norman commented: "I invite Jörgen Forsberg to ATG. He will lead the work of implementing the strategies decided by the board and be acting CEO until a brand-new CEO is recruited. The recruitment process for an irreversible option is ongoing."
Forsberg is currently likewise the CEO of Svensk Travsport, the national governing body of trotting racing. He will carry out both functions all at once and Ulf Hörnberg, Vice President of Svensk Travsport, will supply support for some of the functional tasks within the organisation, while the procedure of picking a new irreversible CEO of ATG occurs.
When it comes to his background, Forsberg has previously been Chairman of the Board and CEO of Stockholms Travsällskap, the operator of the harness-racing track in Stockholm. He likewise boasts regional and international senior leadership experience in the vehicle industry.
On his own visit, Forsberg stated: "While waiting on a new CEO, I look forward to continuing to develop ATG together with all of ATG's staff members according to the board's strategies and protecting the business's essential role for the Swedish horse industry."
Time for change
Previously state-owned, the government loosened its control over ATG in 2015 in a quote to make it more competitive because of an increasing obstacle from global operators since Sweden's market was re-regulated in 2019.
Considered that the operator reported significant YoY earnings declines in 2025, this year will certainly show transformative for ATG, specifically when a new CEO gets appointed.
The operator has also been broadening its existence outside of Sweden. Just recently, its joint endeavor with Hippos Oy looked for a licence in Finland. Expected to release in 2027, Finland's new controlled market might show a core component to ATG's return-to-growth ambitions.