Executive profile
Niklas Lindahl: a C-level operator who takes the seat
Former CMO of LeoVegas, market managing director and turnaround CEO. The operator behind Action Is Now, open to selected CEO, interim, fractional and board mandates.
In short
I am Niklas Lindahl, a C-level operator with 15+ years scaling and fixing digital businesses across Europe. I have held the chief marketing officer seat at LeoVegas (a 120M euro budget), run a market as managing director (3M to 18M euro in a year) and led a company turnaround as CEO. I take on CEO, interim, fractional and non-executive board mandates, in English and Italian.
Career and operator record
I have spent my career carrying numbers, not commenting on them. As CMO of LeoVegas I managed a 120 million euro marketing budget, delivered 50 million euro of incremental revenue in under a year, lifted EBITA by 18 percent and cut the marketing-to-revenue ratio from 40 percent to 30 percent. That work was instrumental in the acquisition by MGM, an exit north of 607 million euro.
As a market managing director I grew revenue 500 percent, from 3 million to 18 million euro, in under twelve months. As a turnaround CEO I stabilised a loss-making business and returned it to growth. Earlier I founded and exited my own company, and I served in the Swedish Amphibious Corps, where the bias to action was set.
Today I lead Action Is Now and a set of focused practices for senior mandates, including Fractional Manager for C-level fractional and interim work across Europe.
- Chief Marketing Officer, LeoVegas: 120M euro budget, P&L impact, exit to MGM.
- Managing Director of a market: revenue grown 500 percent in under a year.
- Turnaround CEO: loss-making business stabilised and returned to growth.
- Founder and exited entrepreneur.
- Swedish Armed Forces (Amphibious Corps) veteran.
- Bilingual: English and Italian, operating across Europe.
How I run a business
I diagnose in days, name the two or three moves that actually matter, and embed with the team to execute them. I do not hand over a deck and leave. If I cannot deliver, you will know within a day and I will say it directly, because that honesty is faster and cheaper than a polite engagement that produces nothing.
I lead from the front and hold the line under pressure. The plan executed this week beats the perfect plan delivered next quarter. I keep communication straight with founders, owners and boards, and I make decisions when the information is incomplete, which is when most decisions actually have to be made.
The mandates I take
I take roles where the core problem is leadership, execution and accountability at the top, not another diagnosis. That includes interim CEO and turnaround leadership for businesses under pressure, fractional CEO, CMO or COO mandates for owners who need senior judgement part-time, and non-executive or advisory board seats.
Interim & fractional executive
Senior C-level capability, part-time or interim, accountable for the outcome and deployed within days.
Turnaround & restructuring
Stabilise a business in distress, reset the model and return it to a defensible position.
Interim CEO
Take the chief executive seat when it falls vacant or the company needs decisive leadership now.
For executive search firms and boards
If you are a headhunter, executive search partner or board member looking for a proven C-level operator, I am open to selected mandates across Europe, permanent, interim or non-executive. The fastest way to start is a direct conversation: tell me the situation, the mandate and the timeline, and I will give you an honest read on fit.
You can reach me through the contact page, and the wider track record and writing also live on niklaslindahl.com.
Off the clock
Resilience is trained, not talked about
In my spare time I like to go the extra mile. I am a Spartan Ultra World Championship finisher and a Mud Masters veteran, along with a range of obstacle and endurance races that I take on for the challenge.
It started earlier. I completed military service in the Swedish Armed Forces, where the basics were set: carry your own weight, hold the line under fatigue, and do the work whether or not anyone is watching.
These events are not just a hobby. They are how I keep the habits that matter in business: staying steady when things get tough, making the next decision under pressure, and finishing what I started.
That same discipline runs through everything I do. In business it shows up as turnarounds delivered under pressure and numbers hit when the plan got hard. In private life it is the habit of showing up, consistently. Action is now applies on the course and in the boardroom.
- /Train consistently, in any conditions, so a demanding quarter feels familiar rather than daunting.
- /Treat every race the way I treat a turnaround: read the terrain, pace the effort, keep the team moving and see it through.
- /Build the kind of resilience you earn through effort, then put it to work when the numbers, the board or the market get tough.
- /Hold myself to a standard even when nobody is watching, because the habits you keep alone are the ones that show up under pressure.
- /Keep promises to myself first, which is what makes the promises I make to a board credible.
- /Stay calm in the messy middle of a race or a turnaround, the point where most people quit.
Related services
Frequently asked questions
Is Niklas Lindahl available for CEO or interim roles?
Yes. I take on selected CEO, interim management, fractional and non-executive board mandates across Europe, in English and Italian. The quickest route is a direct message via the contact page.
What is Niklas Lindahl known for?
Operating C-level roles at scale: CMO of LeoVegas on a 120 million euro budget through to the MGM exit, a market grown from 3 to 18 million euro as managing director, and a company turnaround delivered as CEO.
Which sectors and languages?
iGaming, SaaS, e-commerce, manufacturing SMEs, scale-ups and defence tech, working fluently in English and Italian with deep roots in the Italian market.
Interim, fractional or permanent?
All three are possible. Many mandates begin as interim or fractional to build momentum and de-risk the decision, and some convert to a longer or permanent role.
Tell us the goal. We make it happen.
We deploy senior operator firepower and produce massive results. No excuses, just results.
Book a callStart the conversation
Tell us where you are and where you want to be. We reply within a day.