Gentoo Media Names Ex-Raketech CFO Måns Svalborn, Signalling Its Next Move

Key Points

• Måns Svalborn, a seasoned financial executive and erstwhile CFO at Raketech Group, has been chosen to be the new CFO for Gentoo Media, joining the company in early October 2026 after the resignation of Mads Haugegaard Albrechtsen on 28 May.
• The new CFO will bring with him over two decades of expertise in finance and six years of experience in leading the financial functions, legal and compliance, investor relations, and cross-border M&A of Raketech.
• Despite a reduction in revenue by 5%, the company is seeing an increased EBITDA margin of 44% and reduced staff from 404 to 292, which has cost savings of ~€3m per quarter.

Svalborn Steps in as Gentoo Looks Past the Restructuring

Gentoo Media has announced that Måns Svalborn will become their new Chief Financial Officer, as he is expected to take up the post in early October 2026. The new appointment comes after he has worked in the same position at Raketech Group, the iGaming affiliate listed on the Nasdaq First North market, for more than six years.

Måns Svalborn will take over the responsibilities from Mads Haugegaard Albrechtsen, who has recently submitted his resignation letter dated 28 May. It is Mads Haugegaard Albrechtsen who managed to lead the company through its restructuring process in the financial sector without altering any plans.

More Than 20 Years, and a Sector He Already Knows

More than 20 years in finance sit behind this appointment. Svalborn spent over six of those years as Group CFO at Raketech, where the remit stretched well past the numbers. The legal side of operations, compliance, investor relations, and management were all within the scope of his responsibilities.

He was involved in financing, capital market activities, and cross-border deals during his time at Raketech. Prior to his involvement in the iGaming industry, he had worked in banking and auditing, being a senior finance professional at Nordea Bank and having been an auditor at Ernst & Young. He is a graduate of the Master of Science in Accounting program at Uppsala University, and he earned his Bachelor’s degree at Lund University.

CEO Jonas Warrer framed the hire explicitly around what the company needs next. Gentoo picks up a finance chief who already knows what listed affiliate operations demand, rather than one who needs to learn the sector from scratch.

Warrer said: “Måns is a highly experienced CFO with a strong track record in the affiliate industry. His combination of listed-company experience, deep financial expertise and proven leadership within listed iGaming affiliate businesses makes him an excellent addition to Gentoo Media. I am confident he will play an important role as we continue executing on our long-term growth strategy.”

Svalborn also put his thinking on record. He said: “I’m delighted to be joining Gentoo Media at such an exciting stage of the company’s journey. Gentoo Media has built a portfolio of highly recognised brands and established a strong position in the global affiliate market. I look forward to working with the team to build on that success and create long-term value for our shareholders.”

A Business Formed from a Split, Now Running Independently

Gentoo has run as a standalone business since September 2024, when Gaming Innovation Group divided into two separately listed entities. The media and affiliate operations became Gentoo Media; the platform and sportsbook side became GiG Software.

The group’s portfolio carries names well known across the affiliate space: AskGamblers, Time2Play, CasinoTopsOnline, WSN and Casinomeister. Shares trade on Nasdaq Stockholm under the ticker G2M.

The Numbers Behind the Appointment

The hire arrives after months of deliberate contraction. In Q1 2026, Gentoo trimmed about €3m from its costs for the quarter on the back of a fall in its workforce from 404 to 292 as a result of its restructuring that began in 2025.

Revenue in Q1 2026 was €24m, marking a decrease of 5% from last year, mainly as a result of negative margins in February because of sporting losses. However, there was a brighter side as far as profitability was concerned since EBITDA increased by 19% to €10.5m, resulting in an increase in margin from 35% to 44%.

On the capital side, Gentoo replaced its revolving credit facility with an €18m shareholder-backed loan, and shelved a planned bond refinancing after concluding the market conditions did not stack up.

What Svalborn Left Behind at Raketech?

Svalborn’s move triggered its own succession at his former employer. Raketech announced he had resigned from the company’s Board of Directors with immediate effect following his acceptance of the Gentoo CFO role, given that the two companies are direct competitors. Victoria Darmanin stepped in as interim CFO, while Raketech continued pressing ahead with a platform-first push built around subaffiliation and AffiliationCloud.

Raketech’s Board Chair Peter Ekmark said: “On behalf of Raketech, I would like to thank Måns for his valuable contributions to the Company, both during his years as CFO and more recently as a member of the Board. We wish him every success in his new role.”

Affiliate Sector Patterns Running in Parallel

Svalborn walks into a company facing the same headwinds his peers are battling. Catena Media widened its MRKTPLAYS subaffiliate platform in January, launching MRKTPLAYS+, with first-quarter revenue climbing 26% and adjusted EBITDA surging 191%. Better Collective kept trimming its cost base while redirecting money into paid acquisition, with paid-media spending up 9% as staff costs fell 6%.

Across the listed affiliate sector, the pattern repeating in recent disclosures is consistent: smaller workforces, bigger paid-media lines and heavier investment in subaffiliate infrastructure. Gentoo is running the same playbook; Svalborn has seen it from the other side.

Expert Analysis

Gentoo’s decision to recruit from within the listed iGaming affiliate pool rather than pull from broader finance is deliberate. Svalborn does not need an orientation period on sector dynamics, regulatory pressure or investor communication in this space. He has lived all of it.

The timing matters too. Now that Gentoo is out of crisis mode, there has been an improvement in the cost structure, the margin has increased, and cash flow has become much better. What Svalborn has inherited from Gentoo is a business that is more efficient, has a cleaner financial structure but owes €114.1 million in net interest-bearing debt by March 2026 and operates in a line of revenue that has dropped 5%. 

Being a CFO for a listed subsidiary in 2026 is not only about finance. Capital markets management, M&A readiness and investor positioning are all in scope. Svalborn’s Raketech tenure covered exactly those areas. Whether Gentoo uses that experience to chase acquisitions, refinance its debt structure or sharpen its investor narrative will be the real test of what this appointment is actually for.