RG start-up Better Change to recruit Simon Collins and Sheona Hurd
Former Ontario Lottery & Gaming director Hurd hired to spearhead US expansion efforts with Collins set for non-exec position after News UK exit
Gibraltar-based responsible gambling (RG) start-up Better Change has hired former Ontario Lottery & Gaming (OLG) executive Sheona Hurd to build the presence of the business in the US. Hurd officially starts at Better Change on 1 May in the newly created role of operations director for North America. She spent almost 14 years with OLG in Toronto, most recently as director of social responsibility strategy and is considered an expert in RG research, community engagement, analytics and player education having overseen the launch of OLG’s RG education platform PlaySmart. EGR understands Gaming Realms co-founder and igaming industry investor Simon Collins will also join Better Change this year in a non-executive role. A veteran of the UK market with more than 25 years’ experience in launching online gambling brands, Collins co-founded Cashcade and led the creation and development of Foxy Bingo before selling the brand to GVC for £96m back in 2009. He most recently served as gaming MD at News UK in London before stepping down in February. Upon his departure, Collins said: “My roots – and my heart – lay in the start-up space, and the lure of the new opportunities there was just too strong.” Better Change was founded this year by former Coral and Betfred exec and Harvard Business School alumna Victoria Reed.