After being reinstated as CEO at Paradox Interactive, Fredrik Wester has apologised for “inappropriate behaviour” he has admitted to conducting during a conference in 2018.
In a series of tweets, Wester has addressed “a specific incident in 2018” where he states a Paradox employee “was subject to inappropriate behaviour from me personally”.
Elaborating, Wester said: “I sincerely regret making a person in my proximity uncomfortable and for the damage this caused. I will continue to work to not only improve myself but also improve the work environment around both Paradox and the industry as a whole.”
Although Wester does not specify the nature of the event, he states that he “immediately and sincerely apologized” for it in 2018 and has since been working with a coach and mentor “to understand the impact of my behaviour better, and to better myself”. Wester also clarifies that the event “had nothing to do” with his resignation from Paradox in the same year.
In the wake of the recently leaked survey to the press, there have been rumors and discussions about my role in this environment, citing a specific incident in 2018. In the name of transparency and clarity, I would like to shed light on this. Accountability starts from the top.
— Fredrik Wester (@TheWesterFront) September 13, 2021
After resigning in 2018, Wester recently returned to his position at the start of this month (September 1) after former CEO Ebba Ljungerud resigned “due to differing views on the company’s strategy going forward”.
Wester’s series of tweets aim to address what he calls a “recently leaked survey” that surfaced shortly after his return, which alleged that 44 per cent of Paradox employees have experienced mistreatment at the company.
The survey was carried out by two Swedish union groups and claimed that 133 of Paradox’s 400 employees responded to the survey. Following a significant amount of respondents alleging mistreatment, both unions stated “Offensive treatment is a systematic and far too common problem at Paradox” and added that “There is a perception that perpetrators at managerial level are protected by the company”.
In response, Paradox has announced that it is in the process of using an “external, neutral company” to carry out a “comprehensive employee survey”.
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