Johan Tjärnberg
Johan Tjärnberg | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 18, 1975 |
| Citizenship | Swedish |
| Education | Stockholm University (MBA) |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur and businessman |
Johan Tjärnberg (born August 18, 1975) is a Swedish fintech entrepreneur and businessman known for his leadership roles in payment companies Trustly and Bambora.[1]
Early life and education
Tjärnberg was born on August 18, 1975, and grew up in Sveg and Mora, Sweden. During his youth, he pursued hockey and aimed to play professionally before transitioning to a career in business. He later received a Master of Science in Business Administration from Stockholm University in 2001.
Career
Tjärnberg began his professional career at PwC, gaining foundational experience in business and financial management. He later joined Point, where he served as CFO and subsequently as CEO. Under his leadership, Point was acquired by Verifone in 2011 for €1 billion.[2][3]
In 2014, Tjärnberg founded Bambora, a global payment processing company catering to in-store and online retailers. Bambora was later acquired by Ingenico in 2017 for €1.5 billion. Following the acquisition, Tjärnberg served as Ingenico’s Executive Vice President (EVP) for Small & Medium Business and later for Retail Business.[1]
In 2022, Tjärnberg became the CEO of Trustly, an open banking payment platform. He had previously served as the company’s chairman since 2020. Under his leadership, Trustly expanded its operations and addressed compliance and anti-money laundering (AML) protocol challenges.[4][5]
Controversies
Tjärnberg has faced challenges during his career, including Trustly's postponed initial public offering (IPO) in 2021 following concerns raised by the Swedish Financial Supervisory Authority (SFSA). Trustly was later fined €12.3 million in 2022 over AML deficiencies, which Tjärnberg acknowledged as an opportunity to improve the company's compliance processes.[6][7]
Additionally, in 2023, Tjärnberg and his wife purchased a luxury villa in Lidingö that previously belonged to Alexander Ernstberger, a figure associated with the Allra financial scandal. While Tjärnberg had no connection to the scandal, the purchase attracted media attention due to the villa's history.[8][9]
Personal life
Tjärnberg is married and has children. He is involved in his hometown community, organizing the Johan Tjärnberg Hockey Camp in Sveg to support local youth hockey development.[10]
References
- ^ a b Billing, Mimi (September 28, 2018). "Vd:n ett år efter miljardaffären: "Det har varit supertufft"". Dagens industri (in Swedish). Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ Rao, Leena (November 14, 2011). "VeriFone Buys European Payments Processing Company Point For Over $1 Billion". TechCrunch. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ Chima, Chikodi (November 15, 2011). "Mobile payments turf war intensifies as Verifone acquires Point for for[sic] $1B+". Reuters. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ Georgia (April 29, 2022). "Trustly wins FinTech of the Year 2022". FF News | Fintech Finance. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ Eklund, Henning (February 18, 2025). ""Kändes som att vi var världens sämsta bolag"". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2412. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ "Swedish unicorn Trustly says IPO "not around the corner", despite appointing IPO-experienced CFO". Tech.eu. October 9, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ Leonards, Alexandra (April 5, 2021). "Trustly postpones $9bn IPO after regulators raise concerns". FStech. Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ Nyhetsbyrån, Foto: Pontus Lundahl/TT / TT (August 31, 2021). "Allragrundarens lyxvilla säljs för rekordbelopp". www.aftonbladet.se (in Swedish). Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ Jonsson, Camilla (August 31, 2021). "Trustlys ordförande fullföljer köpet av Ernstbergers villa". Realtid (in Swedish). Retrieved August 6, 2025.
- ^ "Företagsledare sponsrar nysatsning på hockey". Tidningen Härjedalen (in Swedish). September 30, 2013. Retrieved August 6, 2025.