With Simon Hammon set to step down as Relax Gaming’s CEO, the slot supplier has appointed Martin Stålros to become his successor.
Having been the company’s CEO since 2022, following three years as its Chief Product Officer, Hammon will pass the torch to Stålros, who has been with the studio for almost a decade.
Hammon said: “Martin is the natural choice to take the reins at this pivotal junction following my decision to move on from Relax Gaming. Having proudly invested the past five years in Relax’s outstanding growth journey, it is safe to say that I wholeheartedly believe in and will always cherish the company and team within it.
“As Relax moves into its next stage, Martin’s extensive understanding of the company’s DNA, offering and team, along with his passionate yet pragmatic approach, will enable him to successfully steer Relax to achieve all the goals set.”
As Relax CEO, Hammon has overseen the company’s progression of its Money Train series with flagship sequels, while launching the studio’s progressive jackpot campaign – Dream Drop.
The former CEO will stay with the company until October 2024 to ensure the handover process goes smoothly.
Hammon continued: “It has been a true honour serving as CEO of Relax gaming for two years, and I look forward to seeing what the future brings them.”
Moving up from his position of COO to CEO, Stålros also brings over 15 years of industry experience to the position, having held roles with Kindred’s Unibet and Ladbrokes before joining Relax in 2015.
Stålros commented: “Having the opportunity to step up as CEO after seeing the company grow from 30 to 350 people during my time as COO is tremendously exciting. I’m humbled by the task and it’s the strength of the team that surrounds me which makes me even more motivated about the challenge.
“My predecessors have built a stable ship and a close working relationship with both Patrik Österåker, the Founder, and Simon Hammon, the previous CEO, has given me great insight.
“My aim is to combine their strengths with my own to drive Relax Gaming into further growth as we continue to expand to new markets and embrace opportunities, while always maintaining outstanding tech, exceptional service, strong relationships, and our core values.”
Relax Gaming’s new CEO will oversee the studio’s North American debut, having launched via BetMGM in New Jersey using US-focused sister brand RLX Gaming towards the end of last year.
Instilling optimism into the new appointment, Patrik Osteraker, Chairman of the Board at Relax Gaming, added: “I am delighted to see Martin Stålros stepping up to the CEO role at Relax Gaming. Martin has been involved with Relax from the very early days and has had a material impact on the success of the company.
“As the business and organisation continues to mature and grow we feel that Martin has the ideal profile needed to support and guide us on our ambitious growth trajectory. Martin has full support from the Board to implement the strategy set out for Relax Gaming.
“The Board and myself also wish to extend a heartfelt thank you to the outgoing CEO, Simon Hammon, who has been absolutely instrumental in building Relax to the position we are in today. We wish him all the best in life and in his new projects. Thank you, Simon.”