People news 17 November 2016
The latest people news from the egaming industry in the last seven days (11 November to 17 November 2016)
Rank to combine London and Maidenhead offices
Both sites to close with firm opening larger base in Maidenhead to house all staff
Rank Group will shut its London and Maidenhead offices next year and combine the two workforces under a single roof at a brand new headquarters based in Maidenhead, EGR has learned.
The move, which is expected to be completed by next summer, comes as the leases on both current properties come to an end and with management thought to prefer a single office approach.
Rank’s 120-strong London Victoria staff were made aware of the upcoming change last week and have now entered a period of consultation.
EGR understands the move will not result in an overall reduction in headcount, with Rank currently in the process of expanding its team, while the entirety of Rank’s Maidenhead staffers is expected to transfer to the new base.
Hills appoints John O’Reilly and Mark Brooker to board
William Hill has appointed former Coral Interactive MD, John O’Reilly, and ex-Betfair COO, Mark Brooker, to the board as the operator looks to strengthen its digital capabilities.
The former Coral and Betfair directors will both join the UK operator as non-executive directors early next year, along with Tesco’s ex-chief customer officer (CCO) Robin Terrell.
O’Reilly has more than 24 years’ experience in the gambling space having established and led Ladbrokes’ online arm from 1998 to 2010 and more recently oversaw the rejuvenation of the Coral Interactive business as MD.
Seven days in people news:
Sky Bet raids Microsoft for new international tech director
Sky Betting & Gaming (SB&G) has appointed Microsoft’s former global business evangelist, Simon Ince, as the operator’s new director of international technology.
Ince, who took up his new role last month, will be responsible for leading SB&G’s international digital and engineering teams, based out of the company’s Electric Works tech hub in Sheffield.
He was previously at global tech giant Microsoft for nine years, where his roles included senior application development consultant/manager and, most recently, global business evangelist.
Head of Spanish gambling regulator departs
The head of Spain’s gambling regulator, Carlos Hernandez Rivera, has stepped down from his role after more than four years at the regulatory body, it was announced this weekend.
Hernandez Rivera had worked as director general of La DirecciÌ_n General de OrdenaciÌ_n del Juego (DGOJ) since June 2013 having previously been appointed deputy director general at the Ministry of Finance in April 2012.
Prior to joining the DGOJ, he also worked as a government lawyer at the Spanish National Court.
Baazov makes å£5bn Amaya takeover bid
Former Amaya CEO David Baazov has delivered a bid to acquire the Toronto-listed firm in a deal worth approximately $6.5bn (å£5.2bn) including debt.
Baazov delivered the $24 (å£14) per share proposal on behalf of a to-be-formed entity called BidCo, which he said is prepared to provide a $200m (å£117.8m) deposit into escrow upon execution of a definitive agreement.
The former chief exec also said he has received binding equity commitment letters from several investors, for a total commitment of $3.65bn (å£3bn) for the purchase.