People news 12 November 2015
The latest people news from the egaming industry in the last seven days (6 November to 12 November 2015)
Sky Betting & Gaming invests £11m in major recruitment drive
Operator to increase headcount by 200 as it also unveils plans to open up a new customer services hub in Leeds
Sky Betting & Gaming (SB&G) has announced plans to invest £11m into a major recruitment drive which will see company headcount increase by 200 and the opening of a new customer services hub in Leeds.
The expansive plans will be backed by a £250,000 marketing campaign with the new roles to be split across its technology and customer services teams, with half of all new hires to work out of the operator’s recently opened tech office in Sheffield.
Following the hires, which are expected to be finalised within the coming financial year, SB&G’s headcount will reach approximately 900 people across its three Yorkshire-based offices.
“With the business performing well we have decided that now is the time to significantly increase our investment in people and facilities,” Richard Flint, chief executive of Sky Betting & Gaming, said.
Gaming Realms names new COO as Noel Rowse departs
Gaming Realms chief operating officer Noel Rowse has left the firm with former Sky Betting & Gaming director Stephen Downer appointed his successor.
Downer joined the AIM-listed firm earlier this month after Rowse decided to part ways with the company in order to set up a new marketing agency.
Rowse’s departure comes after almost 15 years within a management team comprised of Patrick Southon, Michael Buckley and Simon Collins. The quartet were all founding members of Cashcade, which was sold to PartyGaming in 2009, before then going on to form Gaming Realms.
Seven days in people news:
BoyleSports rejigs digital team with senior Paddys hire
BoyleSports has appointed Paddy Power head of poker Patrick Thornton to the newly created role of head of digital revenues, eGaming Review has learned.
Thornton, who joined BoyleSports in the past few weeks, will be based at the operator’s Dundalk headquarters where he will have broad responsibility for the firm’s remote gaming and sportsbook businesses.
The hire of Thornton comes after head of gaming Fraser Linklater left BoyleSports earlier this year following the closure of its London office. While not a direct replacement, Thornton will assume many of Linklater’s previous responsibilities.
Bwin.party board member Daniel Silvers stands down
Bwin.party has announced non-executive director Daniel Silvers had stepped down from the board with immediate effect.
Silvers was appointed to the board back in May 2014 on behalf of SpringOwl Asset Management, which acquired a 6% stake in the operator earlier that year.
In a statement, bwin.party said Silvers advised the operator he would be pursuing commercial interests outside of SpringOwl, and his decision to step down reflects the priority he is now giving these.
OpenBet to grow headcount by 10%
OpenBet has launched its second major recruitment drive of the year as the supplier looks to increase its headcount with the creation of 60 additional roles.
The sportsbook and gaming supplier, which currently employs approximately 600 staffers across its London, Athens, Quebec and Sydney offices, said it expected to increase that number by 10% in the coming months.
According to OpenBet, the vacancies come as the result of new business wins – in July the firm signed a deal to provide Singapore Pools with a sports betting platform shortly after adding start-up operator Win Cash Live to its roster of clients.
Isle of Man names new e-business director
Jonathan Mills has been appointed the new director of e-business development of the Isle of Man’s Department of Economic Development.
Mills replaces Peter Greenhill, who vacated the role in July, having held various chief executive roles in e-business and the egaming industry specifically.
“I am delighted that we have been able to attract someone of the calibre and experience of Jonathan Mills to this key role,” Alf Cannan MHK, the department member with responsibility for e-business, said.
“The Isle of Man’s economic plan Vision2020 identified e-Business as the sector offering most growth potential and Jonathan will be playing a key role in helping the Isle of Man exploit these opportunities to enable further growth in jobs and in the Island’s reputation as a leading international business centre,” he added.