Entain named as one of UK’s most admired businesses

Entain has been named as one of Britain’s most admired companies in a peer-review study conducted by Management Today. The FTSE 100 firm finished second in the 2021 rankings which were compiled by Echo Research and involved interview with 329 board representatives, analysts and City commentators to determine the most admired companies in the country. Entain found itself behind just Arup, the London-based architecture and design company, who clinched the top spot. The honour follows the first-year anniversary of Jette Nygaard-Andersen time as group CEO and follows major milestones including the continued growth of its US joint venture BetMGM and its investment into esports with the acquisition of Unikrn. Management Today said a combination of the company’s commitment to ESG issues, along with its impressive financial results, saw it become highly coveted by fellow businesspeople. Management Today said: “Gambling businesses are rarely admired, not least because they struggle to portray themselves as responsible corporate actors. “Entain is trying its best to turn the tide and was cited by numerous Most Admired panellists for its efforts to tackle problem gambling, alongside wider ESG issues. “It is Entain’s bottom line, however, which has made 2021 a stellar inaugural year for chief executive Jette Nygaard-Andersen. “Its BetMGM joint venture now has a quarter of the newly liberalised US sports betting market, which continues to expand, and its investment in esports and gaming means the end of lockdown shouldn’t take the gloss off its impressive earnings growth,” the firm concluded. Rob Wood, Entain CFO, said: “This recognition is a true testament to the entire team at Entain. We’ve been through a remarkable period of transformation since 2020 – we have made our mark as a global brand and experienced huge growth, all whilst putting sustainability and ESG at the heart of everything we do. “At heart, we are a technology business – and it is our industry-leading proprietary technology that allows us to innovate, offer customers new and better experiences, and grow into new areas, like esports. We really are a company that is shaping the future,” he added. Jette Nygaard-Andersen spoke exclusively with EGR to discuss why interactive entertainment and new regulated markets will help triple the FTSE 100 operator’s TAM to $162bn.