People news 12 September 2017
The latest people news from the egaming industry in the last seven days (5 September to 12 September 2017)
Superbet builds new trading team with six Ladbrokes hires
Leo Gaspar and five colleagues from Ladbrokes’ international trading department join Romanian operator in its Zagreb-based office
Superbet has hired six former Ladbrokes traders to join the operator’s recently launched international and Central European trading team in Croatia, EGR Intel can reveal.
The new trading team, which joined Superbet’s Zagreb office on 1 September, includes Leo Gaspar who previously worked in various senior trading roles at Ladbrokes for more than 10 years.
The team will cover all international online trading operations and will work closely with Jon Hewlett, formerly of bwin.party, and his Gibraltar-based team.
PPB adds former Tipico CEO Jan Bolz to board
Paddy Power Betfair (PPB) has announced that former Tipico CEO Jan Bolz has joined the firm as an independent non-executive director.
Bolz, who led German operator Tipico from 2011 through to its sale to CVC in 2016, joined PPB on 6 September 2017.
Bolz has more than 25 years of senior management experience across marketing, sales and finance having previously worked in executive roles for Electronic Arts and Bertelsmann Music Group.
His appointment is the latest in a period of staff turnover for PPB following the departure of CEO Breon Corcoran in August.
MGM appoints Starbucks exec as chief digital officer
MGM Resorts announced the appointment of Kelly Smith as the group’s senior vice president and chief digital officer.
Kelly, who joins from Starbucks, has been hired to help the firm “leverage new digital platforms to create innovative customer experiences”.
Smith will be based in Las Vegas and report directly to Lilian Tomovich, chief experience and marketing officer at MGM Resorts.
“We are thrilled to have Kelly join our team,” said Tomovich. “As a global entertainment brand, with customers at the centre of our business, our Company’s commitment to digital innovation remains a critical part of our long-term strategy.
Betsson CEO Ulrik Bengtsson departs after board fallout
Betsson AB president and CEO Ulrik Bengtsson is to leave the Stockholm-listed operator following a disagreement with the board over the company’s strategic priorities.
According to a number of sources, the fallout was prompted primarily by a difference in opinion on the future of Betsson’s Turkey-facing business, as well as disagreement over the pace of its acquisition strategy.
In its recent Q2 2017 report, Betsson said: “In 2007, Turkey introduced legislation against internet gaming that did not fall within the local regulatory framework and it reinforced parts of this legislation in 2013.
“A Betsson associate, which has its own gaming licence in Malta and is owned and managed separately, accepts that Turkish gamblers bet under this licence.
Marathonbet names new CEO
Marathonbet has named its head of finance and deputy CEO, Natalia Zavodnik, as the firm’s new CEO following the departure of Viktor Hoffmann, EGR Intel has learned.
Zavodnik, who has been with Marathonbet servicing company Panserve since 2003, started the new role last month.
She replaces Viktor Hoffmann, who left the operator to become CMO at Gibraltar-based gaming start-up Addison Global, after 17 months in the role.
“Natalia, who has a wealth of experience in the online gaming sector and more than 15 years’ service to the group, takes over following Viktor Hoffmann’s resignation,” the operator told staff in an internal memo.