Rank Group chief exec Henry Birch resigns
Birch will leave the Mecca Bingo-owner after four years at the helm to become CEO of online retailer Shop Direct
Rank Group CEO Henry Birch has resigned from the Mecca Bingo-owner after nearly four years in charge to become chief executive of online retailer Shop Direct, it was announced today.
Birch, who has been CEO of Rank Group since 2014, will join the multi-brand retailer later this year, with Rank yet to announce a successor to the former William Hill Online CEO.
However, Rank said it would make a further announcement when a successor had been identified and that Birch would remain in his current role for the coming months to ensure an “orderly handover”.
“The Board would like to thank Henry for his significant contribution to Rank over the past four years and will continue to work closely with him and the executive management team during this leadership transition,” Rank said in a statement this morning.
Henry Birch has been CEO of Rank Group since 2014
Prior to Rank, Birch spent more than four years leading William Hill’s Online business, part of a joint venture between William Hill and Playtech, and was also previously CEO of Leisure & Gaming PLC from 2004 until 2008.
“I’m thrilled to be joining as unique and ambitious a business as Shop Direct,” Birch said.
He added: “The company has been through an extraordinarily rapid and successful transformation over the last five years and flatly refuses to slow down.
“I’m looking forward to driving continued growth as Shop Direct continues to outpace its competition, and am excited to join the team to carve out the next chapter.”