GVC bolsters executive board with dual appointment

GVC has strengthened its executive board with the hire of two new directors. David Satz will join the FTSE 100 operator as a non-executive director as of 22 October, while Robert Hoskin, GVC’s group director of legal, has been promoted to the role of chief governance officer. Hoskin, who has worked for GVC since 2005, will join the board as an executive director from 1 January 2021. In his new role, Hoskin will manage GVC’s legal, regulatory, governance and social responsibility affairs. According to the operator, he has been instrumental to the group’s growth and development by overseeing legal and regulatory requirements in more than 20 countries across five continents, while supporting various M&A transactions. Prior to joining PartyGaming in 2005, Hoskin headed up the investment company secretariat at Aberdeen Asset Management. He is a chartered company secretary with a law degree from University College London. America-based Satz played a critical role in lobbying for online gaming and sports betting to be legalised and licensed in the US. He was most recently SVP of government relations and development for casino giant Caesars Entertainment in Las Vegas, where he worked from 2002 to 2019. Satz previously spent 16 years at the US law firm Saiber Schlesinger Satz Goldstein, where he had a particular focus on gaming. Commenting on the appointments, GVC chairman Barry Gibson said: “I am delighted to be welcoming two such high-calibre individuals to our board. “David has unrivalled regulatory and legislative expertise in the all-important US gaming market. His knowledge and insight will be hugely additive in helping us to achieve our ambition of being the leading operator in the US through BetMGM, our fast-growing joint venture with MGM Resorts. “Robert has made an outstanding contribution to GVC in his 15 years at the group, and his promotion is richly deserved. “The fact that regulation, legal and governance are now represented at board level will give us even greater oversight of these critically important areas, all of which are central to our long-term growth plans,” he added. GVC this month recorded a 28% rise in total online net gaming revenue for Q3 2020.