People news 20 November 2014
The latest people news from the egaming industry in the last seven days (14 November to 20 November 2014)
Gala Coral online restructure sees senior figures depart
A number of senior figures at Gala Coral are set to leave the company in the coming months with CMO Matt Prevost and HR director Karen Hood among the first to depart as the firm presses ahead with plans to merge its two interactive businesses.
The combined entity’s new-look executive board, which will be headed up by Gala Coral Group chief operating officer Andy Hornby, will see number departures from the business, including that of Coral Interactive chief marketing officer Matt Prevost.
Prevost is set to return to his native US early next year but will first play a headline role in the integration process while Gala Interactive CMO Phil Walker has been handed responsibility for the merged firm’s marketing strategy.
Gala Interactive gaming director Alison Digges will revert to a director of bingo role, a position she held until recently at Gala, while Coral’s Mark Kemp will also sit on the board as gaming director alongside Angus Nisbet who becomes gaming operations director.
Keith O’Loughlin, who joined Coral Interactive from Boylesports in June, will retain his director of sportsbook role.
Gala Interactive product and technology director Itay Fisher has been given a larger brief as he takes up a position on the new board as development director while Coral’s Michael Boylan becomes IT director for the amalgamated firm.
The human resources team has also been given a new look after Coral HR director Karen Hood decided to leave the firm with responsibility for the combined business handed to recent recruit Tracey Newton-Blows.
Intralot CEO Antonopoulos stands down after 22 years
Intralot has promoted CFO Antonis Kerastaris to the position of group chief executive with incumbent Constantinos Antonopoulos standing down after more than two decades in the role.
The changes were made with immediate effect while Antonopoulos, who said in a statement the time was right to stand aside, will continue as vice-chairman of the board.
The promotion of Kerastaris comes after only ten months in the role chief financial officer at Intralot having joined from telecommunications subsidiary Hellas Online where he was chief executive for six years.
Seven days in people news:
Akamon bolsters product team
Social casino developer Akamon Entertainment has appointed Michalis Lagos as its new director of product platforms, as part of a reshuffle of its product team.
Lagos joins the Barcelona-based firm from bwin.party, where we he was responsible for the group’s social gaming platform, and will report directly to chief product officer Alex Cohen.
He will be responsible for Akamon’s gaming platforms development and management.
Lagos’ forms part of a major reshuffle for Akamon’s product team, which will split into two factions. Lagos will lead one team, while new product manager Marc Garcia will lead the other.
Akamon has also appointed a new game artist, and a math designer, as well as an acquisition manager, a payments Manager, and a systems admin manager.
Ex Tombola MD Thomas lands GM role at Caesars Interactive
Former Tombola managing director Leon Thomas has joined Caesars Interactive Entertainment (CIE) as vice president and general manager of regulated online gaming.
Thomas, who left Tombola after three years last month, will be based in Caesars Interactive’s Las Vegas headquarters, and will report directly to CEO Mitch Garber.
He will be responsible for developing, leading and driving strategic and operational initiatives across the regulated real-money online gaming operations for CIE, and will oversee the marketing, casino, poker and operational functions, across Caesars’ Montreal, Las Vegas, New Jersey and Tel Aviv real-money gaming offices.