Lassie Appoints Former Klarna Brand Chief Rebecca Jerndahl Tepavac as VP Brand

Lassie's appointment of former Klarna brand lead Rebecca Jerndahl Tepavac signals a shift in pet insurance competition from price-driven utility to brand-led ecosystem loyalty. As the Stockholm-founded insurtech expands across Europe, it is prioritising a "prevention-first" identity to differentiate itself in a crowded market where customer retention and loss-ratio management are increasingly tied to digital engagement.

What was announced

Lassie has appointed Rebecca Jerndahl Tepavac as its new VP Brand to spearhead the company’s identity across its core European markets. Jerndahl Tepavac, who joins the Stockholm-founded digital pet insurer on 11 November 2026, will report directly to Hedda Båverud Olsson, CEO and co-founder of Lassie.

The appointment follows Lassie’s recent entry into the UK market in July. Jerndahl Tepavac is tasked with overseeing brand strategy across Sweden, Germany, France, and the UK as the firm transitions from a regional startup into a broader European platform.

Jerndahl Tepavac brings significant experience from the high-growth fintech sector, having previously served as Head of Global Brand at Klarna. During her tenure there, she was responsible for a comprehensive brand refresh and the implementation of a unified design system and tone of voice across international territories. Her portfolio includes high-profile marketing initiatives such as the "Get Smoooth" campaign featuring Snoop Dogg. Additionally, she served as Marketing Director at Einride during a period of international expansion.

At Lassie, her focus will be on communicating the company’s "prevention-first" model. Unlike traditional indemnity-focused providers, Lassie utilizes its app to provide pet owners with tools and knowledge designed to prevent illness and injury before they occur, aiming to reduce the frequency of claims through proactive care.

The companies involved

Lassie is a digital pet insurance provider founded in Stockholm in 2021. The company has positioned itself as a preventative health platform rather than a traditional insurer, incentivising pet owners to engage with educational content and health-tracking tools to lower their premiums. This model aims to align the interests of the carrier and the policyholder by reducing the likelihood of expensive veterinary interventions.

The firm’s growth has been supported by significant venture capital interest, including backing from Balderton Capital, a prominent European venture firm that has also invested in other financial technology and AI-driven enterprises such as Itoflow and Taktile.

Lassie’s expansion strategy has focused on the European market, moving beyond its Nordic roots to establish a presence in major insurance markets including Germany, France, and most recently, the United Kingdom. The company operates in a sector that has seen a surge in digital adoption as pet ownership rates increased globally, leading to a demand for more transparent, app-based insurance products that offer more than just reactive claims processing.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has closely tracked Lassie’s trajectory as it scales its operations across the continent. In February 2026, the publication reported on the company’s significant Pet Love Boom Fuels Lassie’s $75m Series C as It Moves to Own the Future of Pet Care in Europe, a funding round intended to solidify its market position.

Prior to this capital injection, Lassie demonstrated its commitment to integrating technology into the pet care ecosystem through strategic partnerships. In early 2025, FF News covered the Lassie X Tractive in an Exciting New Collaboration, which highlighted how the insurer is using wearable technology to enhance its data-driven approach to pet health and risk assessment.

What this means from an insurtech perspective

This move highlights a maturing pet insurance market where technical underwriting is no longer the sole differentiator. By hiring a brand lead from Klarna, Lassie is signaling that it views pet insurance through the lens of consumer lifestyle and embedded engagement rather than a grudge purchase. For incumbent carriers, the pressure is mounting to move beyond basic indemnity and reactive claims. If Lassie successfully links brand-led preventative behavior to lower loss ratios, it challenges the traditional actuarial models that rely on historical breed data alone. The question for the sector is whether "prevention-first" branding can actually shift policyholder behavior enough to sustain lower pricing in an era of high veterinary inflation.