Open to opportunities

Leo Celija

@leocelija

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Business development and cybersecurity risk advisor driving high-trust B2B growth.

Sweden

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What I'm looking for

I’m looking for roles combining business development with strategic, board-level cybersecurity and risk advisory—especially in regulated, high-trust environments. I enjoy partnership sales, complex negotiations, and high-ticket B2B mandates.

I’m a commercial and advisory professional with 15+ years of experience across financial services, critical infrastructure, regulated markets, and complex B2B sales. I combine business development, client acquisition, and executive advisory with expertise in financial crime, cybersecurity, compliance, and risk management.

I’m the Founder & CEO of Avertum Group AB, where I build advisory programs for boards, investors, and regulated organisations. I generated SEK 1.8M in signed consulting revenue within 24 months through targeted outbound work and expansion across financial services, infrastructure, and industrial verticals, while leading full-cycle client acquisition and executive stakeholder management.

As an independent consultant (Oct 2020 – Jun 2022), I advised six SME clients in fintech and regulated services on pricing architecture, compliance readiness, commercial positioning, and client acquisition. I structured a regulatory and operational roadmap for a payment-adjacent client, enabling successful audit clearance and an 18% margin improvement within nine months.

Earlier, I led multi-stakeholder growth in critical infrastructure, acquiring Liseberg and Weland AB through strategic prospecting and negotiations, securing multi-year contracts valued at SEK 12M+ combined. I’ve also delivered cross-border compliance work in Nordic VAT recovery, and I bring a strong suitability-and-trust mindset from FCA-regulated investment advisory—grounding my approach to governance, incident readiness, and regulated risk.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Current

Founder & CEO

Current

Avertum Group AB

Jun 2022 - Present (4 years 1 month)

Built and operates Avertum Group AB, delivering business development, advisory and cybersecurity-/risk-focused services for boards, investors and regulated organisations. Generated SEK 1.8M in signed consulting revenue within 24 months and led full-cycle client acquisition from prospecting through executive stakeholder management.

Business Development Executive Advisory Cybersecurity Consulting Governance Multi Stakeholder Sales Outbound Prospecting Client Acquisition

Independent Consultant & Advisor

Self Employed

Oct 2020 - Jun 2022 (1 year 8 months)

Advised six SME clients in fintech and regulated services on pricing architecture, compliance readiness, commercial positioning and client acquisition. Structured a regulatory and operational roadmap that enabled successful audit clearance and an 18% margin improvement within nine months.

FinTech Advisory Compliance Client Acquisition

Key Account Manager & Developer

Göteborg Energi

Jan 2018 - Oct 2020 (2 years 9 months)

Acquired Liseberg and Weland AB through strategic prospecting and complex multi-stakeholder negotiations, securing multi-year contracts valued at SEK 12M+ combined. Managed industrial and real estate portfolios with annual contract values of SEK 5–20M, balancing growth, retention, profitability and risk allocation.

Key Account Management Business Development Strategic Prospecting Contract Negotiation

Nordic Sales Executive

United Cash Back

Nov 2016 - Oct 2018 (1 year 11 months)

Expanded VAT recovery services across four Nordic markets, improving cross-border compliance workflows and reducing processing time by 22%. Supported commercial expansion through outbound sales, account development and relationship management in cross-border B2B environments.

Outbound Sales Account Development Relationship Management

Investment Consultant (HNWI)

Fisher Investments Europe

Dec 2014 - Nov 2016 (1 year 11 months)

Managed end-to-end advisory and sales cycles for European high-net-worth clients in a tightly FCA-regulated environment. Ranked in the top 15% of the European sales cohort based on conversion rate and AUM growth, while maintaining 94% client retention.

HNWI Advisory Sales Cycle FCA Regulated Advisory AUM Growth Client Retention

Licensed Financial Advisor

Skandia

Sep 2010 - Dec 2014 (4 years 3 months)

Delivered FI-regulated advisory on pensions, insurance and savings with emphasis on suitability, trust and long-term client relationships. Achieved the highest sales volume in risk-adjusted fund portfolios within the HNWI segment during 2013–2014.

Investment Advisory Insurance Advisory Client Relationships FI Regulated Advisory

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Implementer (independent study)

ISO/IEC 27001 Lead Implementer, Information Security Management

Independent study focused on ISO/IEC 27001 leadership and implementation. Marked as active preparation.

ISACA (CRISC in progress)

CRISC, Risk and Information Systems Controls

CRISC-focused preparation as indicated as in progress. Intended to build risk and information systems controls capabilities.

XeDrix Institute of Higher Education

Professional Track, Cybersecurity & Protection of Digital Assets

2026 - 2026

Professional track formal training in cybersecurity and the protection of digital assets. Completed during Jan–May 2026 while supporting regulated-advisory client work.

University of Gothenburg

Master of Science, Political Science & Science and Technology Studies

2001 - 2006

MSc in Political Science & Science and Technology Studies at the University of Gothenburg. Studies completed from 2001 to 2006.

GDPR/DPO & NIS2/DORA professional training

GDPR & DPO Practitioner / NIS2 & DORA Frameworks (training), Privacy, Security Regulation & Risk

Advanced professional training aligned with GDPR and DPO practitioner requirements, including related NIS2 and DORA frameworks. Conducted as ongoing professional development.