Betclic poaches two data heads from PokerStars

Betclic has reinforced its growing data team with the hire of two senior PokerStars department heads.

Joseph Wilkinson and Bernardo Battistotti have both linked up with Betclic to take charge of separate data departments across the business.

Wilkinson has been appointed director of data products, while Battistotti has been named as director of analytics.

Wilkinson will be responsible for leading the function consisting of data science and product, as well as scaling Betclic’s machine learning and automation capabilities.

Battistotti will be charged with supporting the business via data analysis to optimise strategy and value creation.

Wilkinson joins Betclic after spending more than eight years with PokerStars, culminating in his final position as head of data science from November 2020 to June 2021.

Battistotti joined PokerStars in February 2018 as an analyst before eventually being appointed analytics department head in August 2020.

The pair assumed their roles with Betclic in mid-July and will report into chief data officer Rich Ellis.

Speaking to EGR, Wilkinson said: “I was sad to leave PokerStars after so many years, but I was ready for a new challenge. The culture and technological capabilities at Betclic presented an exciting opportunity.”

Battistotti added: “[I am] excited to join a company that heavily prizes product over marketing and with a direct path from idea to implementation.”

Ellis commented: “Betclic have invested heavily in data and analytics in the last six months. I am delighted to bring such strong talent to the Betclic business.”