People news 24 August 2017
The latest people news from the egaming industry in the last 10 days (17 August to 24 August 2017)
Mattias Wedar will lead the technology division at Mr Green
Mr Green strengthens technology arm with new CEO
Mattias Wedar to take lead role in implementing Mr Green 2.0 business strategy and driving continued tech focus
Mr Green has hired Mattias Wedar to head up its technology division, Mr Green & Technology AB.
Assuming the role of CEO in September, Wedar previously worked for Swedish online directory Eniro, where he held the position of CIO, CEO for the Nordics and senior VP for products and marketing.
Group CEO Per Norman said Wedar would play a key role in the further implementation of the Mr Green 2.0 business strategy.
Tabcorp promotes Adam Rytenskild to lead wagering division
Tabcorp has promoted Adam Rytenskild to chief operating officer (COO) for wagering and media, replacing Craig Nugent who is set to retire after nearly 20 years at the Australian operator.
Rytenskild, previously COO for keno and gaming, originally joined Tabcorp in 2000 as Victorian retail wagering manager and has held a number of executive roles at the firm.
The new wagering and media chief will now be responsible for the integration of Tatts’ wagering business into Tabcorp, once the proposed combination between the two firms is completed this year.
“[Rytenskild] is an experienced Tabcorp executive with a strong background in wagering,” Tabcorp managing director and CEO, David Attenborough, said.
BetBright hires ex PokerStars director as sportsbook and casino MD
BetBright has hired former Stars Group veteran Sarne Lightman as the Dublin-based operator’s new managing director sportsbook and casino, EGR Intel can reveal.
Lightman, who officially started his role on 8 August, most recently worked as chief marketing officer (CMO) at forex trading firm 24option and will report directly to BetBright CEO Marcus Brennan.
The newly created manging director sportsbook and casino role will see Lightman become Brennan’s second-in-command, taking over responsibility for marketing, as well as sportsbook and casino.
Director of sportsbook Noel Hayes will now report directly into Lightman.
Jamie Hart: Sun Bets failure down to underuse of Sun brand
Former Sun Bets MD Jamie Hart believes the venture would have fared much better in its first year of operation had the sportsbook embraced The Sun brand from the beginning.
The Tabcorp-financed betting venture posted £13m EBITDA losses before Hart left the firm in February and further losses of £28m in FY17.
Market analysts have attributed the losses to Sun Bets offering a mediocre sportsbook product while hiding behind such a well-established media brand.
But former MD Hart said a major reason for leaving Sun Bets to join Romanian betting giant Superbet was that the sportsbook never utilised The Sun brand in the first place.