Flutter UK and Ireland CEO steps down as enlarged International arm is revealed
Operator announces new dual-divisional structure comprising the US and International, with PokerStars CEO Kevin Harrington drafted in to replace the departing Ian Brown
Flutter UK and Ireland (UKI) CEO Ian Brown will leave the business at the end of the year as part of a restructuring of the New York-listed operator’s International division.
Brown will be replaced by PokerStars CEO Kevin Harrington, effective from January 2025.
Harrington, a long-serving Flutter employee, originally joined Betfair as UK commercial director in December 2012.
He retained that position and added Ireland to his remit when Betfair merged with Paddy Power in 2016, before becoming Betfair managing director in January 2018.
Harrington served as PokerStars’ chief commercial officer from September 2020, before being named CEO of the poker operator in August 2023.
The reshuffle at the top of the UKI business comes as Flutter rolls out a “simplified, two-division organisational design” which will see the creation of a US and an enlarged Flutter International arm.
Flutter International will continue to be run by its current CEO, Dan Taylor, while the US division will still be overseen by FanDuel CEO Amy Howe.
Flutter International will now comprise the UKI, Asia-Pacific, Southern Europe and Africa, Central and Eastern Europe and Brazil. Peter Jackson remains as overall group CEO.
Brown departs the UKI division after leading the arm, which consists of Betfair, Paddy Power, Sky Betting and Gaming, and tombola, since September 2022.
The former CEO of Booking.com’s Trips business CEO was brought in to replace Conor Grant who, at the time, stepped down for a planned career break.
Speaking on his decision to leave Flutter, Brown said: “The transformation over the last two years has been tremendously exciting. I am particularly proud that we have taken share in a challenging market, investing in customer innovation and our people.
“Kevin has a deep knowledge of our business, and I am confident he will build on the strong momentum to take Flutter UKI to new heights.
“I would like to say a sincere thank you to Peter and the whole Flutter team for what has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career.”
Peter Jackson, Flutter CEO, added: “Ian’s time at Flutter has been enormously successful. He has transformed the UK & Ireland business on almost every metric and he will be a hard act to follow.
“Kevin’s promotion is very well-deserved and the business will be in safe hands as we embark on the next phase of our growth plan.”
Finally, on assuming the UKI CEO position, Harrington added: “I’m incredibly proud to be given the chance to take over and run a business I first joined more than a decade ago.
“I want to continue the work that has made Flutter the clear market leader across the UK and Ireland and maintain the high standards we have set – with responsible gambling at the core of all our work.”
As per Flutter’s Q3 report, UKI revenue jumped 18% year on year (YoY) to $846m, while there was also a 13% YoY increase in average monthly players.
Flutter occupies an estimated 30% market share in the UK driven by its Sky Bet and Paddy Power brands.
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