Opera Software appointed Lars Boilesen as the company’s new CEO replacing co-founder Jon S. von Tetzchner. Tetzchner will now serve in a strategic and independent capacity.

"Lars Boilesen brings both a very significant industry experience and a deep understanding of Opera to the role as the company's Chief  Executive Officer. In short, Opera's spirit runs through his veins," says Jon von Tetzchner. "My decision to assume a new role in Opera is  based on a lengthy consideration process. As outgoing Chief Executive, I leave confident in the company's continued leadership in key markets, our strong management team, our ongoing commitment to  innovation, and our robust financial foundation."

Boilesen’s experience spans over 20 years with past stints including firms such as Alcatel-Lucent, Tandberg Data, Lego. Boilesen has worked for Opera between 2000 to 2005 as Executive Vice President, Sales.

"I was very happy about convincing Lars to come back to Opera one year  ago. Today, I am very excited about asking him to take over as CEO as  we continue our growth and global expansion. We have worked closely  together for many years and I am certain that he is the right person  to lead Opera into a very bright future," said Jon von Tetzchner.

"I am impressed with what Opera has achieved under Jon’s leadership,"  says Lars Boilesen. "We provide browser technology not only to nearly  100 million consumers worldwide, but also to the major players in the  industry: Vodafone, T-Mobile, Nintendo, KDDI, SKT, Nokia, Samsung,  Toshiba and Sony Ericsson to name but a few. Our focus going forward  is to execute on our current strategy and continue to deliver the best  browser experience to the breadth of our customer and user base."