People news 21 December 2017
The latest people news from the egaming industry in the last seven days (14 December to 21 December 2017)
William Hill appoints industry veteran Roger Devlin as new chairman
SIS chairman and Football Association exec will officially replace outgoing chairman Gareth Davis on 2 April 2018
William Hill has appointed SIS chairman and Football Association executive Roger Devlin as the operator’s new chairman, replacing Gareth Davis who steps down on 2 April.
Industry veteran Devlin will join the board and become chairman designate with effect from 1 February and will officially take over from Davis in April following an induction and handover period.
Devlin is currently chairman of pub operator and brewer Marston’s PLC, as well as non-executive director of the FA and chairman of betting supplier SIS, where Hills is a 19.5% shareholder.
He was also previously chairman of gaming operator and developer Gamesys between 2006 and 2016 and held senior and board level roles at Hilton Group when Ladbrokes was part of the company.
Tabcorp unveils new executive team
Tabcorp has unveiled a new 11-person executive leadership team as the wagering giant’s impending merger with Tatts Group is set to be completed tomorrow.
Eight of the new team are originally from Tabcorp, including chief executive David Attenborough, chief financial officer Damien Johnston and wagering and media MD Adam Rytenskild.
There are three Tatts execs joining the newly merged $11bn powerhouse leadership team; MD of lotteries and Keno, Sue van der Merwe, MD of gaming services Frank Makryllos and new CIO Mandy Ross.
Ross replaces Kim Wenn, who left the position after 14 years at Tabcorp, although departing execs will remain with the group into 2018 to support the initial integration phase.
Harry Lang steps down as Pinnacle marketing director
Pinnacle marketing director Harry Lang has stepped down from his position at the sports betting operator, EGR Intel has learned.
Lang, who officially left the company on Friday, has been in the position since 2015 after previously holding similar senior marketing roles at bwin.party and Rank Group.
“The business is in an exciting phase in its evolution and it feels like the right time for me to hand over the marketing reins,” Lang said in a statement to EGR.
“I believe Pinnacle is a unique business fuelled by very talented people and I look forward to seeing them continue their upward trajectory,” he added.
Nevada Gaming Control Board chair to depart
Nevada Gaming Control Board chairman A.G. Burnett has stepped down from his role, the state’s governor’s office has announced.
Burnett left a year before his term is due to expire, in part to take up a role at law firm McDonald Carano.
He also told The Nevada Independent he wanted to give his wife a break and felt like he had achieved all his goals with the NGCB.
Burnett was originally appointed chairman by Governor Brian Sandoval back in October 2012.
In a statement, Sandoval called Burnett a “fair and thoughtful regulator” who balanced acting as the “top gaming watchdog” with allowing the industry flexibility to innovate.