Fortuna names ex-Paddy Power man as CMO

Fortuna Entertainment Group has appointed Paddy Power’s former head of online sportsbook Darren Lovern as its new CMO, eGaming Review can exclusively reveal.

Lovern began his role at the Central and Eastern Europe operator, which is among the retail and online market leaders in Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, at the end of June.

The Irishman will report directly into Fortuna’s CEO Per Widerstrom and assumes responsibility for marketing across the entire group, leading the planning, development and execution of the marketing goals, strategy and tactics for the business.

Meanwhile Paddy Power has appointed Michael Healy, who has worked in a number of roles across the business including most recently as acting head of retail gaming, as its new sportsbook head.

“Darren made a great contribution over his eight years at Paddy Power and we wish him all the best for the future,” Johnny Hartnett, Paddy Power’s managing director of online, told eGR.

“We’re all very excited about the future of our sports business with Michael at the helm,” he added.

Lovern joined Paddy Power back in 2007 as online operations manager before moving into the head of online sportsbook role a few years later.

He joins Fortuna as the firm rolls out ambitious expansion plans which includes switching to a new betting and gaming platform and possible entry into new markets.

Fortuna appointed for Gala Interactive MD Widerstrom as its CEO last year and in May reported that online gross win rose by almost a quarter in Q1 2015, as amounts staked showed double-digit year-on-year growth in each of its core markets.