Oct 18 (Reuters) - Intrum, Europe's biggest debt collector, said on Sunday that its President and Chief Executive Officer Mikael Ericson will leave the company after four years in the role and be replaced by Chief Financial Officer Anders Engdahl.

Engdahl will assume the position with immediate effect and Michael Ladurner will take over as acting Chief Financial Officer.

"We are very happy to announce that Anders Engdahl, who is an experienced leader and integral part of the company, will take on the role as the new driving force in our company journey," chairman Per E. Larsson said in a statement on Sunday, noting that Intrum had established a market-leading position under Ericson's leadership.

Intrum's board said it had agreed with Ericson on the need for new leadership as the company moved into the next phase of its transformation.

The Swedish company said in July that it would announce revised financial targets and share information on new efficiency measures in the fourth quarter.

Intrum also said it expected its third quarter results to be substantially above the analyst consensus, posting preliminary adjusted EBIT of 1.69 billion crowns ($191.01 million), up 25% from the second quarter.

It is due to report third-quarter results on October 23. ($1 = 8.8475 Swedish crowns) (Reporting by Rebekah Mathew in Bengaluru; Editing by David Clarke, Kirsten Donovan)