Entain adds M&A muscle with new general counsel hire
Experienced lawyer Simon Zinger joins FTSE 100 operator in newly created role
Entain has recruited international legal veteran Simon Zinger to the newly created role of general counsel as the firm gears up for future M&A.
Zinger, who will join Entain on 22 February, has been recruited following the promotion of Robert Hoskin to the Entain board as chief governance officer in December.
EGR has learned Zinger will report into Hoskins in his new role, which includes providing legal advice to Entain, as well acting as a representative of the operator when dealing with third parties and serving as a key negotiator in strategic transactions.
Zinger has spent the last 18 years working as group general counsel for Tokyo-based international agency Dentsu where he led a team of more than 250 lawyers.
He is qualified to practice law in the UK and the US, with experience in advising US, French, UK and Japanese boards and publicly listed companies. Zinger has previously played a part in large-scale and complex M&A transactions for companies in deals worth more than $60bn (£43.5bn).
He has also worked in legal-focused roles for international law firms including Vivendi, Baker Mackenzie and Squire Patton Boggs, as well as serving with the Black Watch Royal Highland Regiment of Canada.
“His appointment reflects our strategy to gear up as the company continues to grow and become more complex as we explore more M&A opportunities in domestic regulated markets,” a spokesperson for Entain said.
Entain is currently involved in a £250m deal to acquire Baltics-based operator Enlabs and is interested in buying Tabcorp’s betting and wagering division in Australia.
Earlier this week, Entain was forced to extend the acceptance period for its Enlabs takeover by a further month due to regulatory approval deadlines amid external pressure from a group of Enlabs shareholders.