Fred Done steps aside as Betfred CEO

Betfred will be guided by new leadership for the first time since 2016 after founder Fred Done appointed Joanne Whittaker as the Warrington-based bookmaker’s new chief executive. Done, who took over the CEO role five years ago following the departure of John Haddock, will remain with the business as chairman and is “going nowhere” according to sources. Whittaker, who is currently a non-executive director at the operator, will officially take up the reins from 6 April. She founded childcare voucher provider Fideliti in 2005. Aided by a £100,000 investment from Done, Whittaker made an incredible success of the business, which posted turnover of more than £83m and pre-tax profits of £1.7m in the year to March 2019. This success has seen Fideliti rank among The Times’ Fast Track 100 fast-growth enterprises in UK retail. According to the Racing Post, Whittaker has also set up two further businesses backed by Done, a debt advice service called Angel Advance and a loans company called Workplace Finance. As CEO, she will work closely alongside COO Mark Stebbings and other members of the Betfred senior management team. In a 2012 interview with the Manchester Evening News, Whittaker said: “I want to be the female Fred Done. Fred’s great because he’s so successful but has stayed grounded. He came from nothing and did it all himself.”