Coral restructures trading team in multi-channel move
Sam Foulkes takes on new head of trading role for Coral Interactive amid wider changes
Coral has performed a restructuring of its trading division in a move designed to closer align the operator’s retail and online trading functions, eGaming Review has learned.
The headline change has seen head of sports Sam Foulkes relocate from Coral’s Stratford base to its Gibraltar offices in order to take on the new role of head of trading for Coral Interactive.
While retaining some of his previous responsibilities, Foulkes has been tasked with heading-up the Interactive trading division as well as assuming responsibility for the operator’s customer profiling team.
Foulkes will report into Stratford-based trading director Dave Brown on all matters risk, a move which will ensure all final risk decisions are made in London, while sportsbook director Keith O’Loughlin will be Foulkes’ go-to man on other issues such as product development.
Following the switch, which took place at the start of the month, eGR understands head of in-play Danny Greer will step-up to become head of sports with Daniel Banham, who currently handles relationships with third-party traders at Amelco and OpenBet, selected to succeed Greer.
The trading rejig, which will also see changes to its pre-event pricing team, comes ahead of an expected merger between Coral parent company Gala Coral and rival bookie Ladbrokes.
Gala Coral CEO Carl Leaver and Ladbrokes chief executive Jim Mullen have both said they are confident the proposed merger will receive the required approval from the UK Competition and Markets Authority.
And should the merger get the green light, Mullen said the enlarged firm would retain “separate trading functions” under a single risk team as part of plans to operate both the Coral and Ladbrokes brands.
Coral was unavailable for comment at the time of publication.