Interim Chief Executive Officer — Online Gaming Regulatory Pivot

The mandate

A sudden regulatory restriction removed the economics of the company's largest paid format, and the founder-CEO resigned after the board rejected a rapid jurisdictional workaround. Player balances remain protected, but product, cash and workforce decisions now need an executive who is independent of the prior growth thesis.

The interim must begin within two weeks for twelve months, covering portfolio reset, runway financing and one complete operating cycle. Permanent recruitment starts after the board selects the compliant business model, with extension possible for six weeks if regulatory or successor approval timing moves.

Handover is complete when all player funds reconcile daily, prohibited formats are closed without unresolved balances, retained products reach board-approved contribution and conduct thresholds for two quarters, at least fifteen months of runway is funded, and the permanent CEO has presented the next annual plan.

The interim may stop games, alter operating spend, redeploy the approved product budget and negotiate contracts within ₹25 crore. Entry into a new regulated category or jurisdiction, workforce reduction above 15%, capital raising terms, permanent C-suite appointments and player remediation above ₹10 crore require board approval.

Lobbying strategy, founder shareholding and a sale of the company are outside scope. The assignment must create a lawful operating business from existing capabilities rather than pursue a transaction or contest the restriction.

Why this seat is open

The founder's departure turned a strategic shock into an immediate executive gap. Product leaders remain committed to formats they built, while finance can only model options rather than choose them. A temporary CEO gives the board decisive operating leadership without prematurely selecting the permanent future profile.

What you will own

• Decide which game formats stop, continue or require redesign based on legal opinion, player conduct, unit economics and technical control.
• Protect player funds through daily bank, wallet, bonus and withdrawal reconciliation with exception escalation.
• Build a twelve-month operating plan linking retained-product evidence to cash, workforce and platform investment.
• Approve product experiments only where player protection, eligibility, responsible-play and financial thresholds are explicit.
• Negotiate runway capital or cost actions and present control, dilution and execution consequences to the board.
• Demonstrate two quarters of compliant product operation at approved contribution and customer-conduct levels.
• Transfer regulatory decisions, player obligations, funded priorities, leadership assessments and the next operating cycle to the permanent CEO.

Candidate qualifications

• Served as CEO, business-unit president or COO in regulated digital consumer, gaming, payments or media businesses.
• Led a company through abrupt regulatory or policy change that invalidated a major revenue line.
• Held direct accountability for safeguarded customer balances and high-frequency digital operations.
• Reshaped a product portfolio and cost base while preserving customer obligations and critical talent.
• Raised or conserved capital under a compressed runway with board-level trade-offs.
• Can evidence a fixed-term strategic handover rather than an open-ended turnaround.

Non-negotiables

• Available for full-time Mumbai leadership within fourteen days.
• No active directorship or investment in a competing paid-gaming operator.
• Will not pursue prohibited formats through opaque product or jurisdiction structures.
• Must accept board authority over capital, major workforce action and permanent executives.

1. 49 words maximum. Confirm your earliest start and disclose every gaming or adjacent regulated-board interest.
2. 49 words maximum. Describe a revenue line you shut after regulatory change and how you preserved customer obligations.
3. 49 words maximum. Which evidence would determine whether a redesigned game is safe to relaunch?