People news 18 May 2017
The latest people news from the egaming industry in the last seven days (12 May to 18 May 2017)
LeoVegas Gaming CEO Johan Styren to step down
Styren will stay on as a director until end of June with his CEO responsibilities to be shared out internally
Johan Styren, CEO of LeoVegas Gaming’s Malta subsidiary, is stepping down from his position after five years at the firm, the operator announced this week.
Styren, who helped build the mobile-focused casino operator into the listed company it is today, will remain as a director of various LeoVegas subsidiaries until 30 June, when he will then withdraw from the company completely.
A LeoVegas statement said Styren’s responsibilities would be “handled within the framework of the existing organisation”.
“After more than five fantastic years, I feel it’s time to move on to new challenges,” Styren said. “When I started at LeoVegas 2012 we had just launched and had no customers. Today we are market leaders,” he added.
Mr Green hires Paddy Power Betfair’s integration chief as COO
Mr Green has hired Paddy Power Betfair’s (PPB) former director of integration and Malta MD Antoine Bonello as its new chief operating officer (COO).
Bonello, who replaces Tomas Rosander as COO, recently led the merger integration of Paddy Power and Betfair, in addition to heading up the firm’s operations in Malta since January 2015.
His nine-year tenure at the operator also saw him hold positions in customer operations, business improvement and casino management.
Seven days in people news:
Sky Bet Italia MD departs following organisational overhaul
Sky Bet Italia managing director (MD) Giovanna D’Esposito has left the business this week following a re-organisation of the operator’s International business, EGR Intel can reveal.
The departure of D’Esposito, who originally joined the firm in December 2015, will see Sky Betting & Gaming’s International business now report into group managing director Ted Moss.
The MD for the operator’s Germany-facing business, Jochen Weiner, will also now report into Moss following the changes as Sky Bet Deutschland continues its recruitment drive.
Amaya names new CFO
Amaya has named Brian Kyle as its new chief financial officer (CFO), replacing Daniel Sebag who announced his retirement earlier this year.
Kyle will join the PokerStars-owner on 19 June from Toronto-listed IT firm Pivot Technology Solutions, where he also held the role of CFO.
“Brian will be a great addition to Amaya’s executive team,” said Rafi Ashkenazi, Amaya’s chief executive.
Gambling Commission appoints new COO
The British Gambling Commission has appointed former Business in the Community executive director David Pemberton to replace Sue Harley as chief operating officer (COO).
Pemberton, who will join the regulator in June, will oversee the Gambling Commission’s corporate services including HR, finance, IT, planning and risk.
He joins after previously working for the business-led charity Business in the Community for more than 13 years, where he ran regional operations in the East Midlands and Yorkshire & Humber.
Bet365 in tech-focused recruitment drive
Bet365 is in the process of significantly expanding its Manchester headcount after taking additional floor space at the year-old technology-focused hub.
The Stoke-headquartered operator opened the office in April 2016, quickly growing to 60 staffers before renting an additional floor to add a further 25 pairs of hands.
And now the operator plans to bring that number up to 150, with the firm looking to bring in expertise in roles such as senior developers, team leads, tech leads and project managers.
Hills veteran Richard Walsh joins Coingaming as MD
Bitcoin-focused operator Coingaming Group has appointed William Hill veteran Richard Walsh as the Estonia-based company’s new managing director.
Walsh, who will report directly into CEO Tim Heath, previously spent more than 20 years at the UK bookmaking giant, holding a number of senior roles including area operations manager.
His new position at the BitCasino.io owner will see him relocate to Tallinn, Estonia, where he will oversee operations for the entire group, including its soon-to-be-launched esports-focused brand.