People news 31/01/13
The latest people moves from the egaming industry in the last 7 days (25 January to 31 January 2013).
Exclusive: Betclic Everest CEO departs
Ignacio Martos leaves French operator after just a year “ CFO Isabelle Andres promoted to chief executive.
Betclic Everest group chief executive Ignacio Martos has left the business after just a year, eGaming Review can exclusively reveal.
eGR understands that Martos (pictured) stepped down from his role in December last year, informing staff in an internal email seen by this publication. He has been replaced by chief financial and corporate officer Isabelle Andres, who has been at the company since September 2009.
“During this year we had to navigate difficult waters and it has been a tough and demanding experience for all of us, but it has also been rewarding to see that the measures taken helped to put the company back on track recover operational profitability and create new opportunities for quite a few members of our team,” Martos said in the internal email.
“The fact that Betclic Everest Group is now on the right path is [to] your merit. I feel extremely privileged to work with such a fantastic pool of talent; you are the real power of this company and I would like to thank you for the trust and support you gave me in such a challenging period,” he added. He also thanked the company’s board, saying that the group “wouldn’t have reached targets” without its “continuous support.”
Mansour named CEO of Health Lottery
Spielo G2 vice president of product Dominic Mansour has left his role to become chief executive of the Health Lottery.
Mansour departs after over 3 years with the recently-renamed software supplier, where he headed up product management across all verticals, having joined from NetPlay in May 2009. At the operator he served as CEO of its bingo division, Bingos.com, which he launched in June 2004, before selling to NetPlay in April 2008.
He will be replaced by Andrew Karonis, who joined what was then known as Gtech G2 as vice-president of player services and operations in July 2012 from bwin.party, where he held the role of group director of operations and integration.
Seven days in people moves:
Probability names new CFO
Mobile operator Probability has named Betfair and William Hill Online veteran Qurban Hussain as its new chief financial officer, the first ever board-level CFO appointed by the AIM-listed company.
Hussain most recently served as head of commercial finance with Betfair, having been with the exchange operator since 2010. He previously spent close to three years with Hills in a number of financial roles and was involved in the integration of William Hill Online following the operator’s 2009 joint venture with Playtech.
He will join on 2 April and said of the new position: “I view the appointment at Probability as an excellent opportunity to be part of a successful team with market-leading technology, a growing customer base and consistently strong growth.”
IGT’s player marketing director leaves
IGT’s director of player marketing Peter Laverick has left the company to join online pari-mutual wagering and fantasy sports operator BAM Software and Services (Bamsas).
Laverick, who spent more than two years at IGT based out of its San Francisco office, joins as Bamsas’ director of marketing responsible for the promotion of its real-money gaming sites BetAmerica.com and Fanex.com. Both sites operate in the regulated areas of online horserace wagering and real-money fantasy sports betting respectively. Bamsas employs 33 staff at its offices in San Francisco and Vancouver.
Tipp24 appoints new CFO
German egaming operator Tipp24 has made its second significant appointment in recent weeks, naming Andreas Keil as its new chief financial officer.
Keil’s arrival follows that of former Ladbrokes director of ecommerce and mobile Paul Witten as head of business development for the operator’s British-facing subsidiary.
People’s Network operator Microgame has appointed Massimiliano Casella as its new chief executive, replacing founder and former CEO Fabrizio d’Aloia, who has stepped down from the role after more than 15 years. According to reports in the Italian press, d’Aloia will stay on as chairman while former Codere Italy CEO Marco Castaldo has been named chief operating officer.
Company director Peter Laino said of Casella, who has held multiple roles within the company since 2002, “Massimiliano Casella has been instrumental in the success of Microgame last decade. We are excited that he has agreed to settle at the helm of the company.”