People news 28 May 2015
The latest people news from the egaming industry in the last seven days (22 May to 28 May 2015)
Unibet promotes Eskola to executive management team
Unibet has promoted head of gaming Daniel Eskola to chief product officer as part of a company reshuffle prompted by COO Britt Boeskov’s requested break.
Boeskov is due to go on leave from July with Eskola, who starts his new role on 1 June, to pick up many of the responsibilities currently held by Boeskov. Chief executive Henrik Tjärnström yesterday informed staff of the management changes.
In his new permanent role, Eskola will oversee operations for gaming, sports betting, mobile and payments, while he will also join the executive management team.
William Hill CEO joins Responsible Gambling Trust
William Hill chief exec James Henderson has joined the board of trustees at the Responsible Gambling Trust (RGT) replacing former Ladbrokes boss Richard Glynn.
The RGT said the appointment helps it maintain a balance of gambling industry expertise and independent Trustees and Henderson vowed to help the charity to promote its work in the coming years.
“Industry representatives make an important contribution to the work of the Responsible Gambling Trust and Richard was an excellent and collaborative Trustee committed to helping the Trust to fulfil its charitable objectives,” Neil Goulden, RGT chairman, said.
ZEAL Network CEO to stand down
Online lottery operator ZEAL Network’s chief executive Dr Hans Cornehl will leave the company at the end of the year to be replaced by CMO Dr Helmut Becker, the firm formerly known as Tipp24 announced.
Cornehl has served as CEO of the London-headquartered firm for four years after first joining the company’s executive board in 2002 and led the operator’s listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange as well as a revamp of the business following the implementation of the Interstate Treaty on Gambling in 2009.
Chairman of ZEAL Network’s supervisory board Andreas de Maizière praised Cornehl’s leadership during his four-year tenure and his role in driving ZEAL Network’s current financial position.
Fredrik Burvall confirmed as Cherry CEO
Fredrik Burvall has been appointed CEO and president of Scandinavia-facing casino operator Cherry, after six months serving in the role on an acting basis.
Burvall replaces Emil Sunvisson, who stepped down in December as part of a management shakeup which also saw Cherry’s largest investor Morten Klein take up the new role of business development and partnerships.
Burvall has been at Cherry since 2006, previously serving as the firm’s vice president and CFO.
Former Sportingbet CEO McIver joins Chroma
Digital sports solutions provider Chroma Sports has appointed former Sportingbet CEO Andrew McIver a non-executive director in one of his first official roles since leaving the operator in 2013.
In his new role at the London-headquartered firm, McIver will oversee and serve as an advisor to Chroma’s efforts to expand its business internationally.
“Using my international experience I’ll help develop the company’s global strategy, which is already in rude health thanks to strong partnerships including News Australia, The Jockey Club, RMG and more,” McIver said.
Alderney appoints new eCommerce director
The States of Alderney has appointed Susan O’Leary as its director of eCommerce. O’Leary will focus on promoting the jurisdiction as the centre of choice for egaming operators under the regulatory regime of the Alderney Gambling Control Commission (AGCC).
O’Leary will start the new role in August, and joins from Collas Crill, a leading offshore law firm, where she was a key member of the eCommerce and eGambling team.
FanDuel hires Zynga redundancies
Daily fantasy sports (DFS) operator FanDuel has hired a batch of Zynga employees made redundant by the social gaming giant as part of a $100m cost reduction plan announced earlier this year.
The 40 new hires include Mike Taramykin, who was responsible for establishing Zynga’s Orlando game development studio, which focused on producing mobile sports games. The new hires will be based out of FanDuel’s recently established Orlando office, and push the operator’s employee roll-call beyond 180.