Paradox says deputy CEO Mattias Lilja becomes chief executive on January 4, 2027. Fredrik Wester remains CEO until then and stays on the board.
The board of Paradox Interactive has appointed deputy CEO Mattias Lilja as chief executive, effective January 4, 2027. He will succeed Fredrik Wester, who told the board he has decided to step down as CEO and continue on the board, focusing on the company's long-term development. The release is dated November 11, 2026.
Wester stays in the job until the handover. Paradox says he remains CEO until Lilja takes the role, so the transition stays orderly. It says Wester remains the largest shareholder. It also says the company's strategic direction remains firm.
The company calls the change a continuation of how it is already led. Since 2021, Lilja has taken on increasing responsibility for operations and for carrying out the strategy, while Wester has put more focus on long-term development and goals.
Wester says the job was never meant to be permanent. In the release he says, "My plan was never to be CEO for life." He says that since he returned as CEO the company has streamlined its strategy, rebuilt its pipeline and developed its commercial offering, and that Lilja had a central role in that work.
The chairman and the incoming CEO both signed on. Chairman Håkan Sjunnesson says Lilja combines a strong vision with operational and commercial experience. Lilja says the company will invest further in its core business, work more closely with players, and build more tools for modders and players. The release does not name a successor for the deputy CEO role.
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