Sky Betting and Gaming kicks off Italy recruitment drive

Sky Betting and Gaming has kicked off a recruitment drive for its new Sky Italia arm with senior hires joining from Paddy Power and Betfair as the operator gears up for launch in 2016.

The Leeds-headquartered operator is hiring for various roles based both in Rome and in its new Sheffield office which will initially be focused on Sky Bet’s Italy launch in H2 next year.

A number of people from Paddy Power’s Italian business have joined Sky Bet in recent weeks including Emanuele Carotti who was named head of brand and marketing for Sky Bet Italia earlier this month.

Carotti worked at the Irish operator for nearly three years, holding roles including sportsbook CRM manager and most recently egaming marketing manager, and is joined by a number of former colleagues including Giacomo Testa and Fabrizio Casella.

In addition, the Alderney-licensed firm has hired Duren Dexter, who previously worked at Betfair for eight years, as Sky Bet Italia’s new head of technology based in its Sheffield office.

Dexter joined Betfair in September 2004 and held various project management roles before being named director of IS technology for Betfair Australia in November 2011.

In June eGaming Review revealed Sky Betting and Gaming was planning to embark on an expansion drive with the opening of new offices in Sheffield and Rome, and the new South Yorkshire location will be backed with a £10m investment over the next five years.

Earlier this month former parent company Sky announced Sky Bet had recorded an operating profit of £30m for the eight-and-a-half month period prior to its acquisition by CVC Capital Partners in March.