Aditya Bhushan, Indian executive takes on role as NetEnt’s new CTO
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Indian executive Aditya Bhushan has taken over the chief technology officer (CTO) role at NetEnt following the departure of Tobias Palmborg last September 4.
Bhushan was formerly the director of the game platform as well as the managing director of NetEnt India. He started his career as a software engineer at Nagarro Software AB in 2003 before moving to Adobe Systems as a computer scientist in 2004. He also co-founded GreenTots.in, a marketplace for environmentally-friendly baby products, prior to joining NetEnt.
According to hisLinkedIn profile, Bhushan joined NetEnt in 2009 as a system architect, designing “the architecture for the second generation gaming platform” for the licensed casino software provider, known for its online casino games such asreal money online roulette.
In his role as director of game platform and managing director of NetEnt India, Bhushan set up “an innovation and development center for NetEnt in Hyderabad.” The capital city of the Telangana state, Hyderabad has been gearing up tobecome the next innovation address of India, and is now home to a number of major innovation hubs and data centers. Mumbai real estate developer Hiranandani Group, for instance, has built data centers in Hyderabad as well as in Mumbai, Chennai and more recently, Uttar Pradesh.
Bhushan replaces Palmborg, who joined the Stockholm-listed company as head of casino operations in April 2018 and was named CTO in February 2019. More than a year later, Palmborg left the casino software provider to reportedly “pursue new opportunities,” amid Evolution Gaming’s ongoing bid to acquire NetEnt.
NetEnt’s next evolution
The Stockholm company is currently in the midst of acquisition, courtesy of the recently rebranded live casino specialists Evolution Gaming.
In June 2020, Evolution proposed a SEK19.6 billion bid to acquire the casino game developer as part of its bid to become “the world leader in the online gaming industry.” In astatement, Evolution Gaming Chairman Jens von Bahr confirmed:
“This strategic deal marks a significant step towards Evolution’s long-term vision of becoming the global market leader in the online casino industry. The combination of Evolution’s strong offering in Live Casino with NetEnt’s leading position in online slots will result in a world class portfolio of online games that will enable us to serve a growing customer base. Furthermore, NetEnt’s established US positioning combined with Evolution’s existing US studios and first to-regulated-market strategy will put us in a favourable position to capitalise on the on-going regulation in North America.”
For his part, NetEnt Chairman Mathias Hedlund said, “Evolution’s position within Live Casino combined with NetEnt’s position within online slots will create a company well positioned to take significant market shares. Through this transaction, a new chapter in the development of more entertaining online casinos begins, in the best interest of players, operators, employees and shareholders.”
The offer recently saw its acceptance period extended to November 20, 2020, as the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority is currently investigating whether Evolution’s proposed acquisition would decrease the competition in the region’s iGaming market.
Martin Carlesund, CEO of Evolution, said they expect to “during the fourth quarter” of 2020. He added, “We see a fantastic potential in combining the two companies and continuing to deliver the best playing experiences for players across the globe.”
