New leaner leadership structure at Rovio
Rovio is shifting more operational responsibility and decision-making into its two business divisions Games and Media. As a consequence of this change, Pekka Rantala, who has successfully led Rovio through a period of change and strengthened the company’s focus, has decided to step aside. Rovio has appointed Kati Levoranta as the new CEO.
As part of the leadership change, Mikael Hed will lead Rovio’s media business, including its licensing activities, and Wilhelm Taht will lead the company’s games unit.
“I want to thank Pekka for his dedication, change leadership and for steering Rovio through challenging times,” says incoming CEO Kati Levoranta. “We are now positioned to make the most of the release of The Angry Birds Movie in May and some exciting developments in the games and consumer products portfolios throughout 2016. I’m looking forward to continuing to collaborate closely with Mikael Hed and Wilhelm Taht in our new roles, and working with all Rovio employees as we take our business to new heights together.”
“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.
“I want to thank all employees for their tremendous and exceptional support during my time here,” says Pekka Rantala. “Now that we have sharpened our organisational focus and set the table for an exciting 2016, I feel now the time is right for me to step aside and move on to new challenges. Kati has been an amazing colleague, and I know that I am leaving the company in excellent hands.”
Levoranta has served Rovio since 2012 as Chief Legal Officer, and has also headed the company’s sales for the EMEA region since March 2015. Rantala will stay on as CEO until the end of the year to ensure a smooth leadership transition on January 1, 2016.
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.
For more information contact:
Kaisu Karvala
VP of Communications
+358 40 571 5990
kaisu.karvala@rovio.com
About Rovio
Rovio Entertainment Ltd. is a global entertainment media company. Headquartered in Finland and with studios across the world, Rovio is the creator of Angry Birds™, the casual mobile game that changed an industry and became an international phenomenon. Today Angry Birds is not only the most downloaded game of all time, it is a renowned entertainment brand that has branched out into animation, books, licensing and more. The Angry Birds Movie is slated for release in 2016. www.rovio.com
