Podspace recruits trio of industry veterans for expansion

Podspace announces today that, as part of its growth strategy, it has made three senior hires and is launching an international expansion. Industry veteran Öjje Holt — co-founder of Acast and former CEO of Spotify in the Nordics — joins as Director of Growth. Eeva Ronkainen becomes Country Manager at the newly opened Helsinki office, while Johan Leijonhufvud takes on the role of Senior Client Manager. Both Ronkainen and Leijonhufvud bring extensive experience in audio media, including long employments at Spotify.

Podspace is a podcast platform and marketplace that empowers enterprise publishers with technology, distribution, and monetization solutions. Through strategic partnerships with industry leaders like Bonnier News, Perfect Day Media, and Podme, the company has quickly positioned itself as a dominant force in the Nordic market. Podspace is now significantly strengthening its team with three key hires while simultaneously opening its second office, in Helsinki. Industry veteran and serial entrepreneur Öjje Holt, co-founder of Acast and former Nordic CEO at Spotify, joins as Director of Growth. At Podspace, Holt will leverage his strategic and hands-on experience to drive the company’s growth — a role where his background with senior positions at global corporations such as Apple and Microsoft will prove invaluable.

"I’m very familiar with Podspace and its young, energetic team, so when they offered me a position, I didn’t hesitate for a moment. I aim to contribute with my strong network, global relationships, and extensive experience in successful go-to- market strategies — including what pitfalls to avoid.

Podspace has excellent potential to succeed beyond the Nordics. The combination of a young, driven team and an innovative product, along with someone who has launched products globally, ensures this will be an exciting journey. It’s going to be incredibly fun and challenging," says Öjje Holt.

At the same time, Eeva Ronkainen is recruited as Country Manager for Finland. Ronkainen has solid experience from the media industry, including seven years at Spotify as Senior Account Director. She most recently held a position as Advertising Lead at Tise.

Podspace’s Swedish sales team, which offers advertising in the company’s podcast network, welcomes Johan Leijonhufvud as the new Senior Client Manager. Leijonhufvud brings a wealth of experience, having most recently served as head of partnerships at The Swedish Cancer Society. He also boasts a strong background from Spotify, where he worked for 15 years, as Senior Account Director among other roles.

Podspace now has its sights set on expanding its platform and marketplace beyond the Nordic region.

“With limited resources, we have broken into one of the most competitive markets and quickly established Podspace’s marketplace. This is proof that our product fulfills a need for enterprise publishers and advertisers. Now it’s about growing both within and outside the Nordic region and continuing to innovate our technical solution. I am proud to bring in such valuable, experienced, and relevant expertise to our already fantastic team. Öjje, Eeva, and Johan are all dream recruitments and a perfect match for the phase we are facing. It’s going to be incredibly fun to make this journey together,” says Podspace co-founder and CEO Carl Fridsjö.