People news 24 December 2015
William Hill hires Gamesys global CRM chief
William Hill has hired Gamesys global head of CRM Despina Kokkaraki as well as making a number of internal promotions as recently appointed CMO Alex O’Shaughnessy begins to reshape the operator’s marketing team.
Kokkaraki, who spent three years at Gamesys, has been appointed as head of customer strategies at William Hill Online and brings with her five years’ experience of customer acquisition at telecommunications giant O2/Telefonica.
The hire comes amid a number of internal appointments which include the promotion of head of planning Lisa Ravenscroft to head of brand strategy and Tom Warren elevated to head of marketing planning and strategy.
Further changes see head of research Katherine King promoted to head of customer insight and head of marketing campaigns Pete Spiers appointed to head of advertising and content.
Unibet makes CFO switch
Unibet Group chief financial officer Graham Stretch will leave his position at the end of March with Albin de Beauregard appointed his successor.
Stretch’s decision to stand down comes after five-and-a-half years in the role and prompted Unibet to conduct an “extensive search process involving both external and internal candidates”.
Following the search, Unibet has promoted head of internal audit de Beauregard to fill the vacancy while Stretch will remain with the firm in an advisory capacity to ensure a smooth transition and also work on strategic projects.
Playtech appoints John Jackson to the board
Playtech has announced that John Jackson will join its board of directors from 1 January 2016 and will sit on the supplier’s Remuneration Committee, Risk and Compliance Committee, Audit Committee and Nominations Committee.
Jackson’s previous roles include group chief executive of Jamie Oliver Holdings Limited group retail and leisure director of Virgin Group and MD of The Body Shop.
At the same time, Playtech also announced that non-executive deputy chairman Hilary Stewart-Jones is stepping down from the board to pursue other business interests.
NYX board member Staffan Lindgren departs
NYX Gaming Group has shaken up its board of directors after Staffan Lindgren announced he would step down on the 1 January 2016.
Lindgren will be replaced by Craig Billings, former chief digital officer at Aristocrat Technologies and an independent advisor and investor to the gaming industry.
The supplier has also created an additional independent director position which will be filled by James Merkur, who has previously held senior roles at Canaccord and Goldman Sachs.
Sportech names Mickey Kalifa as CFO
Sportech has named Mickey Kalifa as its new chief financial officer to replace Cliff Baty who is set to leave the firm for Manchester United in the New Year.
Kalifa will begin the handover process from Baty on 4 January and will officially take over the role when Sportech announces its full year 2015 results on 3 March.
For the past six years Kalifa has served as Sportech’s corporate development director with a particular focus on its expanding North American business.
Packer steps down from Crown Resorts board
Australian Billionaire James Packer has stepped down from the board of Crown Resorts four months after quitting the role of chairman.
In a statement, Packer did not give a reason for stepping down but said he planned to devote his energy to development projects in Sydney, Melbourne and Las Vegas.
Earlier this year Crown Resorts snapped up a 60% stake in Texas-based social casino developer DGN Games for $27.5m.
IGRG names John Hagan as new chairman
The Industry Group for Responsible Gambling (IGRG) has appointed John Hagan as its new chairman, effective from 1 January.
Hagan is a founding partner of the specialist gambling law firm Harris Hagan and has advised many of the world’s largest gambling operators as well as governments and trade associations.
Hagan will replace outgoing chairman Barry Hardy.
Alderney regulator appoints new exec director
The Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC) has promoted regulatory chief Jorn Stark as its new executive director following the imminent departure of Andr? Wilsenach.
Stark, who joined the AGGC in 2007, has been elevated from his role as director of regulatory operations, a position he took up in 2014 having previously been director of compliance.
His promotion comes just weeks after it was announced that Wilsenach would leave the AGCC at the end of January.