Chris Koegel will join the Swedish company effective Jan. 1 of next year, Klarna announced Thursday (Nov. 12). Koegel, head of corporate finance and investor relations at Robinhood, succeeds Niclas Neglén, who will remain as finance chief for the remainder of the year.
“Chris’s experience as a finance leader at a U.S.-listed consumer FinTech business with a strong track record of growth and shareholder value creation will be invaluable as we enter the next phase in Klarna’s growth story,” said Sebastian Siemiatkowski, Klarna’s founder and CEO.
Koegel joined Robinhood in 2022, serving on the company’s leadership as the firm saw its valuation balloon from under $10 billion to more than $100 billion. He also served as head of investor relations at LPL Financial and spent 13 years with Bain & Company.
“Klarna has built a large-scale global network that customers love,” Koegel said. “I’m excited to join Sebastian and the Klarna team as we work to deliver innovative products and value for customers, a productive and rewarding experience for employees, and long-term profitable growth for shareholders.”
Klarna last week expanded the availability of its anti-scam call tool. Call Status Detection, which lets users check whether someone calling them is truly from Klarna, is now available in all of the 26 markets where the company operates.
In other news from the buy now, pay later (BNPL) world, recent PYMNTS Intelligence research finds that pay later companies who are competing on monthly payment size, total cost and interest-free terms are dealing with clients who have different ideas of what constitutes an attractive offer, particularly among households with children.
Monthly payment amount is the key consideration for 34% of married parents, according PYMNTS Intelligence’s report “The Family Factor: Where Pay Later Providers Can Compete,” an analysis of the broader pay alter ecosystem. Purchase/payment cost came sat in the second place spot at 26%.
Single parents took the opposite view, with 29% prioritizing purchase or payment cost, while 25% focused more on the monthly amount.
“The differences suggest two approaches to serving families. An offer emphasizing the recurring payment addresses married parents’ strongest stated priority,” PYMNTS wrote recently. “An offer emphasizing cost speaks more directly to single parents’ leading concern. Both groups value affordability, giving providers a reason to distinguish between the expense consumers take on and the amount they commit to paying each month.”
