People news 03 January 2013
The latest people moves from the egaming industry in the last 14 days (21 December 2012 to 3 January 2013).
Paddys makes senior management changes
Appointments in retail division follow retirement of UK and Ireland boss Jimmy Mangan.
Paddy Power has made three senior managerial appointments in its retail division, the company has announced in a statement, following the retirement of its long-serving Irish retail chief.
The Irish bookmaker has appointed former head of UK retail Andy McCue as head of retail (UK & Ireland), with Jimmy Mangan who previously headed up the Irish business since the formation of Paddy Power in 1988. It has also appointed Charlie Kelly as head of Irish retail effective July 2013, and Dan Thomson as head of UK retail.
McCue’s role is a newly-created position which the operator describes as designed to help it “leverage the scale of [its] retail platforms, Thomson originally joined the company in 2008 as head of retail gaming and currently serves as head of UK retail operations, while Kelly first joined Paddys in 1999 as group financial accountant and company secretary, spending six years in the role before moving over to head up Irish retail operations.
Paddy Power chief executive Patrick Kennedy, said of the changes: “Andy has delivered outstanding results with the team in UK Retail since 2006 and brings extensive strategic and operational expertise to this broader role, while Dan’s experience positions him very well for the continued development of the UK Retail business.
“Charlie will leverage his broad experience in Retail to drive the business forward. I believe these appointments will further strengthen and support the Group’s growth.”
NeoGames appoints new chief executive
Previously served as CFO for three years.
Malta-based solutions provider NeoGames has promoted Ilan Rosen to the position of CEO, with the former chief financial officer taking on the role this month.
Rosen previously spent three years as CFO and head of corporate affairs, having previously held a similar role at language and translation software provider Bablyon, where he worked for four years.
He replaces Barak Matalon, founder and CEO, who served as chief executive since the company was formed in 2005.
In a statement announcing the appointment NeoGames’ board of directors explained: “Rosen’s appointment as chief executive officer of the group comes at a time when the group’s founders will focus on their strategic and advisory role in the group.”
Responsible Gaming Strategy Board appoints new chair
The Responsible Gaming Strategy Board (RGSB) – an advisory body which communicates regularly with the UK Gambling Commission – has named Sir Christopher Kelly as its new chair.
The independent body is currently chaired by Sir Brian Pomeroy on an interim basis, however Sir Christopher, who previously served as chairman of charity NSPCC (National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children), will assume the role on 1 April.
Sir Christopher said in a statement that he was “Delighted…to have the opportunity to play a part in continuing to develop the strategy toward responsible gambling.”
Jonas Ornstein has taken over as chief executive of Betting Promotion. He had previously served as interim CEO before taking on the role on a full-time basis this week. Chairman Greg Dingizian said: “I am very pleased with the appointment of Jonas Ornstein as CEO and I believe he is the right person to manage Betting Promotion.”
Quadjacks editor-in-chief Marco Valerio has left the poker broadcaster after more than two years. He is set to chair a panel at next month’s iGaming North America conference in Las Vegas, focusing on the online poker player’s point of view, after which he plans to explore further opportunities within the gambling industry.
Valerio said on his Facebook page: “QuadJacks has changed my life, and leaving it is not easy. I am a better person today than I was two and a half years ago, and without a doubt, I have QJ to thank for that.”