William Hill appoints James Henderson as CEO
Retiring Ralph Topping to stand down as CEO on 31 July and be succeeded by group operations director Henderson after "extensive" search
William Hill has named group operations director James Henderson as the operator’s new chief executive, bringing to an end the company’s search for a successor to 44-year company veteran Ralph Topping.
Henderson has been appointed to the UK bookmaker’s board as CEO designate with immediate effect and is set to take up the role officially on 1 August after what chairman Gareth Davies described as an “extensive and thorough review” of candidates both internally and externally.
Henderson’s appointment ends months of speculation in the UK press as to when Topping would leave the company and confirms reports last month that Henderson had been lined up as a replacement.
In his current role as director of operations, Henderson oversees the operator’s UK retail arm, William Hill Online, William Hill Australia following the departure of CEO Michael Sullivan and William Hill US.
Henderson, who has been at the UK bookmaker for nearly 30 years after having begun his career as a trainee in a west London betting shop, was quick to lavish praise on his predecessor.
“Under Ralph as chief executive, the Group is in the best competitive shape I have ever known and he has created, in my view, an unrivalled team with an outstanding track record,” Henderson said.
“Whilst we face challenges as an industry, there are also plenty of opportunities to keep strengthening William Hill by further diversifying our revenues and continuing to build a responsible, sustainable business,” he added.
Topping became chief executive of William Hill in February 2008 after replacing David Harding and has been widely praised for leading the UK gambling giant’s online revival.
During his time as CEO he oversaw the formation of William Hill Online (WHO), a joint-venture with Playtech, and led the eventual takeover of the WHO business when William Hill acquired Playtech’s 29% stake in WHO for a total consideration of £424m.
“I have enjoyed working with James for many years and am pleased to have appointed him to various important operational roles in that time,” Topping said. “It is great to have seen him progress up through the business to the point of taking on the big job, the role of chief executive.”
“As a ‘one company man’ I am naturally a big supporter of William Hill and its people, so I really wish James and the rest of our management team all the success in the world in continuing to take the Company forward,” Topping added.
Before departing, Topping must first serve a 12-month notice period during which time he will continue to advice the company while retaining his current £650,000 base salary and benefits.