Management

Freddy Sobin

CEO

Freddy Sobin has been the Group CEO of XXL since May 2023. Sobin came from the position as the CEO of KICKS Group, a position he has held since 2018. KICKS is a leading Nordic retailer within beauty products with 230 stores in Sweden, Norway and Finland and strong online presence and growth. Sobin also knows the sports and outdoor industry well from his almost five-year long tenure as a Chairman of the Board of Outnorth.  He holds a Master of Business and Administration from Stockholm School of Economics (Handelshögskolan i Stockholm). Before joining KICKS he served as CEO of Consortio Fashion Group, with Bubbleroom as the most known brand, for nearly seven years. In addition to these merits, Sobin is also an experienced Board Member. He is currently serving on the Board of Svensk Handel, Svenskt Näringsliv and successful retail companies like Salling Group in Denmark and Bubbleroom in Sweden. Freddy Sobin is 41 years old, Swedish citizen and resides in Sweden.

Stein Eriksen

Stein Alexander Eriksen

CFO

Stein Alexander Eriksen has been the CFO in XXL ASA since October 2018. From July 2022-April 2023 he acted as interim CEO. Eriksen came from the position as CFO in Orkla Care, one of the key business areas in the leading European branded consumer goods company Orkla. Mr. Eriksen held several key financial positions during his career in Orkla, including SVP Finance in Orkla ASA and CFO in Lilleborg. He has also served as head of Business Controlling in RIMI, one of the former market leaders in Norwegian grocery retail. Stein Alexander Eriksen started his career as an auditor in Arthur Andersen and holds a M.Sc. in Economics and Business administration (Siviløkonom) degree from the Norwegian School of Economics. Mr. Eriksen is a Norwegian citizen and resides in Norway.

 

Cristina Moreno

Managing Director Norway

Cristina Moreno has been Managing Director Norway since March 2023. Before that she was SVP Store Experience at XXL ASA. Moreno holds a degree in retail from the Norwegian business school BI. Prior to XXL she worked as a manager for Sportshuset. Moreno started together with the founders of XXL in 2001, and was one of the first employees. Moreno has held important roles in the company from the beginning, such as store manager, chain director and concept director. Through the history of XXL, she has been involved in all openings of XXL’s stores in all countries. With over 25 years in the retail and sports industry, she possesses both strategic and operational knowledge. Cristina Moreno is a Norwegian citizen and resides in Norway.

Anders Lindblom

Managing Director Sweden

Anders Lindblom has been the Managing Director for XXL Sweden since March 2020. He came to XXL from the position as Head Of Operations in Elgiganten AB were he has held several leading positions the last eighteen years. Prior to Elgiganten AB he worked twelve years for Siba AB  in various managerial positions. He has extensive experience in store operations, omnichannel development and customer insights. Anders Lindblom is a Swedish citizen and resides in Sweden.

Pasi Lämpsä

Managing Director Finland

Pasi Lämpsä has worked in XXL since April 2015 and has been the Managing Director of XXL Finland since September 2018. Prior to this position Lämpsä worked in various positions in XXL as Store Manager, eCommerce Manager of xxl.fi and xxl.se and eCommerce Operations Manager. Before joining XXL Lämpsä worked 8 years in different positions in Dressmann. Pasi Lämpsä is a Finnish citizen and resides in Finland.

Extended Management

 

Emelie Friis

EVP Marketing & Growth

Emelie Friis has been the EVP Marketing & Growth in the XXL Group since August 2023. Previously she held the position as Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) in Kronans Apotek, being responsible for a turn-around of the marketing department from analogue to unified commerce. She has also been working with both E-commerce, digital transformation and CRM. Emelie started her career as art director and creative director in several communication agencies and has also worked in V&S Group and Pernod Ricard with strong brands like Absolut Vodka, Malibu and Kahlua. Emelie Friis is a Swedish citizen and resides in Sweden.

Tolle Grøterud 4

Tolle O. R. Grøterud

EVP Human Resources, Communications and Sustainability

Tolle O. R Grøterud has been EVP HR & Communications since September 2020 and Chief of Staff since April 2020 with the responsibilities for Group Human Resources and Communication including Investor Relations and Sustainability. He acted as the interim Managing Director Norway from November 2020 until June 2021, held the position as interim CEO of XXL ASA from December 2018 until April 2020 and  interim CFO of XXL ASA from July 2018 to October 2018. Before that Grøterud was Investor Relations and Strategy Director in XXL ASA from September 2014. Prior to joining XXL, he served as Partner and Equity Sales in Arctic Securities AS and as Vice President Investor Relations in Telenor ASA. Mr. Grøterud holds a M.Sc from the Norwegian School of Economics. Tolle O. R. Grøterud is a Norwegian citizen and resides in Norway.

Simen Swanstrøm Helly-Hansen

EVP Category, Buying and Supply Chain

Simen Swanstrøm Helly-Hansen has been the EVP Category, Buying & Supply Chain in XXL Group since November 2023. Helly-Hansen has a strong and diverse international experience of more than 20 years in different senior positions within retail. He came from the position as Director Category and Procurement in Vinmonopolet focusing on customer driven category and assortment development, procurement, replenishment and business development. Prior to Vinmonopolet Simen Helly-Hansen held several positions within Phoenix Group and Apotek1 (pharmaceuticals) including Director Commercial Relations in Phoenix Group Europe, Supply Chain Director Apotek1 and Category and Procurement Director Apotek1. He has also broad experience from car retail within Renault-Nissan UK, as a Product Manager Services with responsibility of negotiations and supplier relations, marketing, pricing and strategic development of commercial programs. Mr. Helly-Hansen is a Norwegian citizen and resides in Norway.

Peter Jansson

SVP IT

Peter Jansson has been the SVP IT & Technology in XXL Group since November 2023.  He has been employed in XXL since 2017 with the responsibility for tech development and IT architecture. Before joining XXL Peter Jansson worked as an IT and Business consultant and analyst in iStone and Capgemini, where he has experience from working with several strong Nordic retail chains. In addition, Jansson has technical competence from Ericsson where he worked as a software designer and solutions integrator. Peter Jansson is a Swedish citizen and resides in Sweden.